RN Desk: Bangladesh\u2019s poultry industry is currently facing a stark reality\u2014a severe crisis in the supply of pure water is becoming the biggest challenge to its survival. This was stated by Shamsul Arefin Khaled, President of the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC), at the 7th International Scientific Conference. The conference, titled \u201cClimate-Resilient Food Security and Safe Food,\u201d was organized by the Bangladesh Society for Safe Food (BSSF) on Saturday (May 10) at the BARC building in Dhaka.<\/p>\n
He said that each chicken requires an average of 3 to 4 liters of pure water daily. However, the groundwater level is steadily depleting, making it increasingly difficult to ensure safe water supply to farms in many areas of the country. It is not only water scarcity that is posing a threat\u2014the impacts of climate change have led to water pollution in many places, further endangering the farm health systems. This has resulted in increased disease incidence, higher antibiotic use, abnormally rising production costs, and significant economic challenges for farmers.<\/p>\n
Shamsul Arefin said, \u201cThe shortage of pure water poses a direct threat to the productivity of the poultry sector and to the safe food supply. It is no longer just a farmers\u2019 issue\u2014it is a question of public health and national nutrition security.\u201d He pointed out that due to the lack of pure water, broiler chickens\u2019 growth rates are declining in many farms. Research has shown that for every 1\u00b0C increase in temperature, a chicken\u2019s weight drops by an average of 5%, and egg production is also severely affected.<\/p>\n
He further noted that irregular rainfall patterns, drought, and salinity intrusion, driven by climate change, are severely pressuring the poultry and livestock sectors. Alongside water shortages, the production of grass and grazing lands is also decreasing. As a result, ensuring sustainability in the livestock sector is becoming increasingly challenging.<\/p>\n
In light of this, he emphasized the use of modern technology for smart farming and water management. Specifically, he recommended measures such as rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and drip irrigation systems to conserve water. He also stressed the need to stop the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, ensure bio security, and bring every farm under a \u201cdisease surveillance network.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlighting the poultry sector\u2019s crucial role in Bangladesh\u2019s protein security, he stated that a significant portion of the country\u2019s milk, eggs, and meat supply comes from this sector. However, about 80% of poultry farmers in the country are small- and medium-scale, with limited access to finance, training, and technological support. This makes it even harder for them to cope with the dual challenge of water scarcity and climate change.<\/p>\n
At the conference, Shamsul Arefin Khaled urged the government, as well as private sector and development partners, to implement short-, medium-, and long-term plans to protect this vital sector. \u201cWe must prepare now for a climate-resilient poultry system,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is crucial to ensure the integration of technology, training, safe water, and safe food supply in farm management.\u201d<\/p>\n
In conclusion, he said, \u201cThe poultry industry is not just about food\u2014it is a foundation for the economy, employment, and women\u2019s empowerment. If we neglect the need for pure water in this era of climate change, not just one sector but the entire nation will suffer. Now is the time for science-based and sustainable action.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RN Desk: Bangladesh\u2019s poultry industry is currently facing a stark reality\u2014a severe crisis in the supply of pure water is becoming the biggest challenge to its survival. This was stated by Shamsul Arefin Khaled, President of the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC), at the 7th International Scientific Conference. The conference, titled \u201cClimate-Resilient Food Security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-national","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":837,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions\/837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reflectionnewsbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}