Commercial production of chicken meat in Nepal stands at 114,058 tonnes annually, while egg output amounts to 1.20 billion sets annually, reported local newspaper The Kathmandu Post.

The global average chicken meat consumption is 12kg per person, while average per capita egg consumption is 153 units annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

However, in the South Asia region, Nepal’s per capita chicken consumption is well above India (2.3kg) and Bangladesh (1.4kg), but below Sri Lanka (4.9kg) and Pakistan (4.3kg).

The CBS survey shows Nepal’s poultry industry has an annual turnover of Rs33.72 billion, producing chicken meat worth Rs20.52 billion, eggs worth Rs9.13 billion and chicks worth Rs3.60 billion. Sales of chicken manure amount to Rs453.72 million annually.

Government officials said despite trouble from bird flu outbreaks in the past, the poultry sector has been expanding at a faster rate than expected.

This is due to the cheap nature of chicken compared to other meat products, making it increase in popularity with consumers. As a result, the poultry market has been growing rapidly despite setbacks. Poultry reportedly fulfils around 13 per cent of country’s meat requirement.