The lone state-owned poultry farm in the district, was established at the cost of Tk 10 million, is now in dire condition.
An unprecedented hike in the prices of chicks, poultry feed, medicine, electricity bill and labour cost has affected the poultry industry in the district.
Although there is an office with employees in it, the poultry sheds have been empty for years now, locals said.
Seven out of the 10 sheds, built to rear some 6,000 chickens, and the chick-incubation chamber remain out of use.
Apart from selling a few one-day chicks, the farm currently has no operational output, sources at the farm said.
The government set up the farm in the 1980s on 4 acres of land at the district’s Jugia region of Barkhada union.
The farm had been operating with success initially, selling eggs and chicks not only to the local operation, but also distributing those to other districts.
Locals alleged that a syndicate had been trying to take over the farm since 2004, forcing the officials to sell off their chickens at lower rates, resulting in occasional clashes and forcing its operations to dwindle.
The farm stopped operating in 2007 and has been dysfunctional ever since.
An official from the farm said no one of the employees is permanently employed, with only the farm manager posted from another region. The positions of office assistants, accounts officers and such have remained vacant for a long time. The security guard is working as the office assistant, as per UNB report.
