Broiler chickens, eggs' prices likely to shoot up in winter.

PESHAWAR -- The prices of broiler chickens and eggs were likely to shoot up during winter season in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where many domestic and commercial poultry farms were washed by the record-breaking floods that inflicted colossal economic losses to the farmers.

Besides humans and material losses to the government and private sectors, the flash floods of August 27 that started from Kalam , Oshu and Mataltan valleys of Upper Swat had swept away many poultry farms in Swat, Dir, Mohmand, Bajaur, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mansehra, Batagram, Tank and DI Khan districts. As result, huge stock of broiler chickens and eggs were washed away that would adversally affect consumers' budget during winter and wedding seasons.

"The floods had brought hovac to domestic and commercial polutry sectors in KP especially in Nowshera and Charsadda where many poultry farms located near River Kabul were washed away by the flash floods in a jiffy," said Maast Khan, a progressive polutry farmer of flood hit Mohib Banda village in Nowshera while talking to reporter.

"Personally, I had lost 2,000 polutry chicken and 10,000 eggs stocks in recent floods," he said with sobbing eyes. "When I woke up on August 28, I rushed towards my poultry farm to save my chickens but failed as the entire village was inundated by an eight to 10 feet water of the river Kabul," he added.

"The floods tarnished my dream of performing "Umra" in winter with my parents as my whole investment was drowned in River Kabul," Maast Khan said while tears rolling down over his face.

He said the commercial polutry farming was hit hard by floods in Nowshera, Mardan and Charsadda where supply of broiler chickens and eggs to retailers shops were adversally affected from Hazara division due destruction of roads and bridges.

He said the prices of poultry products would increase in winter due to substantial loss of chicken stock by the floods and urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to provide interest free loans to all the affected farmers so that they could restart their business with dignity.

Besides Save the Calfs and Calfs Fattening Programs, the floods have also affected Backyard Polutry scheme under which one rooster and five chickens were being distributed among hundreds of thousands poor families in the country including KP.

Dr Aftab Ahmad, Director Backyard Polutry Project KP told reporter that the recent floods have affected poultry sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where substantial broilers poultry...