Around 5,000 male chicks used for pig feed per week, Ministry reveals

12 December 2023 11:02 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 20 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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Colombo, Dec.12 (Daily Mirror) - More than 5,000 male chicks are being used for pig feed per week, the Agriculture Ministry said.

They said the Ministry has received information that the male chicks produced in the chicken farms belonging to the National Livestock Development Board are not being used for any purposes but are being used to feed the pigs in the piggeries.

Therefore, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera advised the National Livestock Development Board to take steps to start a programme to increase their daily income by providing these animals free of charge to the currently unemployed.

Accordingly, the National Livestock Development Board has taken steps to distribute these chicks among those interested in poultry farming for meat.

Meanwhile, the National Hadabima Authority has also started a programme to provide free female chicks with the aim of increasing egg production.

About 20,000 hens have been distributed among low-income families as part of a programme to develop livelihoods in the egg industry. Under this programme, steps have been taken to provide 10 or 20 female chicks per family.

By now, the eggs of the hens distributed under this programme are coming into the market, and the people engaged in this industry also have the ability to earn an additional income.