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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Concessions
to boost poultry industry
by Surekha Galagoda Secretary, Ministry of Finance Dr. P. B. Jayasundera is planning to visit the poultry farms in the country to provide concessions and boost the poultry industry. The poultry industry was overlooked in the Mahinda Chinthana as well according to sources in the Finance Ministry. Therefore we will visit the farms and provide the assistance. According to the Chairman of the All Island Poultry Association Dr D.D. Wanasinghe even the last budget has overlooked the poultry industry. He said that the poultry industry is the most harassed and ill-looked after industry in the country though the industry is worth Rs 84 billion and pays Rs. 142 million as taxes every year. A total of 75,000 farmer families depend on the poultry industry for a living. He said the poultry industry is taxed at 15% at four stages while all the other alternative protein sources such as fish, beef, mutton and pork are not taxed at all. This scenario has forced 15% of the small farmers to give up poultry farming as they cannot cope with the current trend. He said the small farmers too have to pay VAT but they cannot claim it back though the major players can and they have to compete with the major players and the small farmers who cannot compete get wiped away. We have requested the minister to reduce the VAT so that small farmers can compete with the big players. At present a consumer pays Rs 32 as tax on a kilo of chicken. Dr. Wanasinghe said that the industry requires 200,000 metric tons of maize per year and the government charges a cess of 20% on maize. According to statistics during the period April -December Rs 150 billion had been collected as cess from imported maize. The poultry industry has started to cultivate maize locally and the first harvest of 45,000 metric tons will be reaped this month, he said. The five-year plan to develop the poultry industry will be presented to the minister shortly. |
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