The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has cautioned the government that due to the non-availability of soybean meal, there was fear of scarcity of chicken, meat and food security across the country. In a statement issued here on Friday, RCCI President Saqib Rafiq said that 130,000 tonnes of soybeans worth 22 billion rupees were in the open at the port. Due to the lack of timely clearance, there is a fear of shutting down of around 30,000 poultry farms while more than 300 feed mills would be directly affected, and the investment of about 1200 billion would be halted in this sector. He said that the poultry industry accounts for 50 percent of the meat demand in the country and more than 1.5 million people were employed in this industry. The non-availability of soybean meal across the country has started to have an impact, increasing the price of chicken and making it unaffordable for the common man, Saqib added. He informed that Soybean meal was the main ingredient of any feed, and without it, the production of feed was impossible. The President alerted that poultry, fish and dairy farmers would be ruined due to the unavailability of feed. Saqib Rafiq further added that in the next two weeks, not only would chickens and eggs be unavailable in the country, but there would also be a shortage of milk and meat. He demanded that authorities realize the seriousness of the issue and immediately release the soybean seed at the port to avoid food security in the country.