Travelling towards Sisket in Ubon Ratchathani, I decided to randomly stop and look at some chicken farms. (The area was supposed to be a big poultry hub, but I didn't see any chickens at all, just some poultry processing plants.)
As I stepped out of the car, a farmer named Nulang Kampon came out and graciously allowed me to interview her. It seemed odd at the time, but apparently she was used to it because I had stumbled onto the first successful, closed poultry farm in the area. A closed poultry system entails keeping the chickens in their own isolated enclosure with their own water supply at all times. There is a fan inside the farm to cool the chickens during the hot summers and enough room to not overcrowd 7,000 chickens. Only Nulang and her husband feed, and clean the water and area of the chickens, and they must shower before and after entering the enclosed and seperate chicken enclosure and wear special equipment during their time with the chickens. After 45 days for the chickens to mature, the poultry company returns to claim the chickens in trucks that are disinfected before and after entering the farm area, and Nulang's family has a full month to clean the area before they bring in new hatchlings to start the cycle again.
About four or five years ago, Nulang and her family had an open farm system, but the neighboring poultry plant came to her and asked if she would consider being a contract farmer for them. In return for providing technical assistance (workshops on how to make the transition and avian flu prevention), machinery, equipment, and the chicken hatchlings, the poultry industry would get a percentage of her revenue. With a substantial loan from a bank, Nulang and family began the transition of closing the chicken farm, which took about a month. The government checks on the farm about once a month to ensure everything is on the up and up.
Nulang says she prefers the closed system since less chickens die. Traditional free roam chickens are exposed to the heat, dust, pollution, wild birds, unclean water sources and more. Now with the closed system, only an average of 300 chickens out of 7,000 die instead of nearly half. Nulang makes approximately 20,000 to 40,000 baht a cycle and can send her daughter to college.
When I asked if she had any advice for other farmers who were also concerned about avian flu, she said to ask nearby companies if they want to work together. Many Westerners, farming students, neighbour farmers, and even Japanese farmers have come to her farm to learn how to convert their farming style. It should take less time than she did (since she was the pilot).
I thought Nulang's story was a great example of government, the private sector and farmers all working towards the same goal.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment