Jhapa, March 24 : The local business community in Jhapa has stated that the domestic production has badly suffered due to an illegal import of chicken from India. The stories of betel nuts producers is also similar as a huge amount of betel nuts is imported from the third countries.
Chairman of District Poultry
Producers Association, Jhapa, Bibek Niraula said that the poultry business in
Jhapa could face closure if we failed to cease the illegal imports of chicken
and eggs, which is happening by taking an advantage of Nepal-India porous
border.
Niraula argued that more than 4,000
kilograms of flesh, live chicken and a large quantity of eggs is imported on a
daily basis from 144 kms long open border in Jhapa. From this, more than Rs 500
million is sent to India illegally every year, it is said.
Poultry is the only self-reliant
agriculture-based industry in Nepal and the state should play role to ban the
illegal imports in order to protect this industry, Niraula said.
Meanwhile, the betel nuts producing
farmers have also complained for poor state of market due to imports from the
third countries.
Betel nuts farmers Nilkantha Tiwari
said that imports of betel nuts should be banned since the imports are targeted
at smuggling to India after buying in the Dollars from the third
countries.
Since we have the sufficient supply
of the betel nuts from our own productions, why do we need to import from the
third countries including Singapore, Tiwari asked. (RSS)