Bairaha joint venture sets up broiler breeder farm and hatchery

The local poultry industry's vulnerability to Avian Influenza and cost increases linked to international currency depreciation is expected to be diminished significantly as a result of a landmark joint venture launched in Colombo last week by Bairaha Farms Limited (BFL), Sri Lanka's pioneer poultry breeder.

The company launched a Rs 100 million project in partnership with Hybro B.V. of the Netherlands to operate the country's most advanced Grand Parent Broiler Breeder farm and hatchery, an initiative that will produce Hybro's world renowned PG+ parent stock locally, supplying the needs of local broiler breeders and generating a sizeable saving in foreign exchange.

Fortune GP Farms, which is a new venture, has been set up in a remote 100 acre land off Dambulla; and in a separate, 10-acre land, a state-of-the-art hatchery has also been set up.

It is capable of producing 70 per cent of the local poultry industry's requirements of parent stock, most of which up to now had to be imported.

"The availability of locally hatched broiler parent breeder chicks will lead to savings for the poultry farmers since they would not have to pay import duty, L/C charges, customs levies and at the same time do not have to face the hassle of clearing the cargo from customs," Managing Director of Fortune GP Farms (Lanka) Ltd. Yakooth Naleem said.

"The conditions of the chicks supplied would definitely be much better because of the shorter distance the chicks have to travel in Sri Lanka when they buy them from us as opposed to importing them," he said.

This BOI-approved joint venture supported by the Government of the Netherlands is also expected to reduce the price of parent breeder broiler chicks since buyers will no longer be burdened with payment of duty, can be certain about the condition of the stock, and will have access to speedy technical support.

The farm is completely isolated to ensure bio security and is equipped with advanced evaporating cooling systems to ensure that correct temperatures are maintained.