COVID-19 Impact on Poultry Production and Distribution Networks in Bangladesh

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected numerous economic sectors across the world, including livestock production. This study investigates how the pandemic has impacted the poultry production and distribution network (PDN), analyses stakeholders' changing circumstances, and provides recommendations for rapid and long-term resilience. This is based on a literature review, social media monitoring, and key informant interviews (n = 36) from across the poultry sector in Bangladesh. These included key informants from breeder farms and hatcheries, pharmaceutical suppliers, feed companies, dealers, farmers, middlemen, and vendors. We show that the poultry sector was damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, partly as a result of the lockdown and also by rumors that poultry and their products could transmit the disease. This research shows that hardly any stakeholder escaped hardship. Disrupted production and transportation, declining consumer demand and volatile markets brought huge financial difficulties, even leading to the permanent closure of many farms. We show that the extent of the damage experienced during the first months of COVID-19 was a consequence of how interconnected stakeholders and businesses are across the poultry sector. For example, a shift in consumer demand in live bird markets has ripple effects that impact the price of goods and puts pressure on traders, middlemen, farmers, and input suppliers alike. We show how this interconnectedness across all levels of the poultry industry in Bangladesh makes it fragile and that this fragility is not a consequence of COVID-19 but has been revealed by it. This warrants long-term consideration beyond the immediate concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Influence of COVID-19 on the sustainability of livestock performance and welfare on a global scale

“…The poultry sector was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially due to the marketing policy implemented during the pandemic (Sattar et al, 2021 ). In India, the poultry sector must deal with the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, resulting in 370 million US dollars in losses (estimated) by the end of April 2020 (Biswal et al, 2020 ).…”

Perilaku Harga pada Pasar Tradisional dan Modern untuk Komoditas Daging Ayam Ras di Kota Jambi (Periode Sebelum, Awal dan Masa Pandemi Covid 19)

“…Tetapi bisnis ayam pedaging merespons dengan cepat kekurangan pasokan dan kenaikan harga setelah penguncian COVID-19 pada Mei (Fang et al, 2021). Dampak pandemic Covid-19 pada sektor unggas yaitu terjadi fluktuasi harga ayam sebelum, selama, dan setelah lockdown (selama periode Januari -Juni 2020) dengan kecenderungan kenaikkan harga ayam dimana tren kenaikan ini berlanjut sampai Hari Raya Idul Fitri di Bangladesh (Sattar et al, 2021).…”

Vegan Egg: A Future-Proof Food Ingredient?

“…On the other hand, consumers are turning towards plant-based food substitutes as a response to rising food safety concerns related to eggs, among other ethical concerns in European countries such as Germany, France, and Italy [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Zoonotic diseases related to poultry and eggs, such as avian tuberculosis, erysipelas, and salmonellosis, and flus, is one of the main factors fueling the market growth of vegan eggs [ 12 ]. Over the last years, increased public awareness over numerous foodborne diseases transmittable through egg consumption are increasingly alarming for consumers, and negatively impacting the consumption of poultry eggs [ 13 ].…”

“…COVID-19 caused also a decrease in the demand for chickens and eggs, resulting in prices fluctuations due to lockdown restrictions limiting business opportunities and customer incomes [ 36 ]. Furthermore, there are false rumors suggesting zoonotic origins of COVID-19 or poultry products contributing to the spread of COVID-19 [ 12 , 37 ].…”