Chitwan, Dec. 31 -- Chicken and eggs demand during the Covid pandemic reached a record level as people searched for protein to remain immune to the virus.

Now, poultry entrepreneurs are wary about the future. This week, stakeholders discussed the current state of the sector, noting that the industry has faced continuous challenges and a downward trend post-Covid.

Raghunath Bhatta, president of the Nepal Poultry Entrepreneur's Forum, revealed that before the pandemic, there were 14 hatcheries producing "layers" chicks for egg production; that number has now dropped to seven.

Similarly, hatcheries producing "broiler" chicks for meat have plummeted from 340 to just 109. The number of feed industries has also shrunk from over 200 to 115. T...