Poultry businesses urge Banke CDO to stop chicken smuggling from India

Nepalgunj, July 24 : Poultry businesses from Banke district have requested the Chief District Officer (CDO) to take necessary steps and end rampant smuggling of chickens and chicks from India.

The local businesses reached the District Administration Office and requested CDO Surya Bahadur Khatri to end the smuggling as chickens of Nepali farmers were not being bought by the suppliers and consumers.

"Chickens smuggled from India are cheaper due to which they are smuggled excessively. 

Local farmers are suffering because of this," said Pradip Kandel, secretary at Banke chapter of Nepal Poultry Management Association. 

According to Kandel, chickens of Nepali farmers have not been sold in the market for the past two weeks. "The investment has gone down the drain as chickens are dying," Kandel said.

Poultry farmers informed that chicken smuggling was common from Narainapur, Khajura and Jamunaha areas of Banke. They also stressed that easy smuggling had also raised the risk of poultry diseases.

As per a memorandum submitted to CDO Khatri, the association has accused lack of proper surveillance in border areas by security personnel as the major reason behind continuous smuggling.

"The poultry farmers have expressed their problems. Police and security forces in the border have been directed to curb smuggling at the earliest," said CDO Khatri.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Shyam Krishna Adhikari informed that they have been confiscating a number of smuggled poultry on different dates. 

"We are determined to stop crimes. Smuggling has been a challenge but we are doing our best. We will intensify our security further," said SP Adhikari, chief at Banke District Police Office.