Dairy farmers oppose soybean meal export

Dairy farmers have once again urged the government to revoke the decision to export soybean meal.

The leaders of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association (BDFA) made the call at a press conference in the city on Sunday, in a bid to protect the country's dairy, poultry and fisheries sectors.

The prices of dairy and other related food items will go up if the decision is not cancelled immediately, warned the dairy farmers.

On February 6, the commerce ministry issued a circular allowing the export of soybean meal on a case-by-case basis.

Addressing the press conference, BDFA President Imran Hossain said, "Local producers have increased the price by Tk 15-20 per kg in different phases after the government's move to allow the export of soybean meal, resulting in abnormal price hike of all kinds of relevant commodities including animal feed."

"Due to the media reports on soybean meal exports, the price of animal feed has gone up by almost 20 percent in the last few months," he said.

As a result, the prices of meat, including beef, have soared, while the production cost of dairy farmers has increased, he added.

Earlier, on October 14 last year, the commerce ministry banned soybean meal export, aiming to tame the rising prices of the key elements of poultry and cattle feed, and also to protect the local dairy and poultry sector as per the request of the association.

Apart from local production, Bangladesh currently imports soybean meal from India, the US, Brazil and Argentina, the BDFA president told the press.

The estimated total demand for soybean meal in Bangladesh is approximately 1.8 to 2.0 million tonnes per year.

Of the total demand, nearly 75-80 percent is procured from domestic soybean oil producers, said Mr Hossain, adding, "The country imports the rest 20-25 percent."

During the press conference, BDFA president also placed a seven-point demand including the export ban of soybean meal.

Other demands are: banning the import of frozen buffalo meat, ensuring fair pricing of liquid milk at farm and retail levels and its marketing, and delivering animal feed by Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at the upazila level in order to curb its prices.

BDFA Vice President Ali Azam Shibli and Secretary Md Shah Emran, among others, were present.