Poultry sector reels under bird flu fears

Since the bird flu outbreak in Navapur area of Nandurbar district was reported, around 90 per cent consumers have stopped eating chicken.

As a result, sales of chicken have come down to 10 per cent, posing a threat not only to the poultry business but also to the employment of around 50 lakh people.

The wholesale prices of chicken have come down from an average of Rs 35 a kg to Rs 5 a kg, while the retail prices from Rs 60 a kg to Rs 15-20 a kg.

In Nashik district alone, around 20 lakh boilers ready for sale are lying idle on lack of demand from consumers. And as maintenance is expensive, poultry farm owners in the district are planning to destroy about half of them.

They believe demand will increase only when there is a shortage of chicken in the market. They have also sought compensation from the state government, some sector sources said.

Given the acute downturn, poultry firms such as C&M, Godrej, Venkatesh, Saguna and Khadkeshwara have urged the Maharashtra government to announce that the state is 'bird flu-free', to dispel the consumers' fears over eating chickens.

"The poultry industry is the backbone of the rural economy. Due to bird flu hoax, the industry's daily turnover across the country has come down from Rs 100 crore to just Rs 5-10 crore. It is passing through a extremely bad phase for the last nine days because of outbreak of the disease, which was confined to Nandurbar district only," said Kokil of C&M.

The disease has been eradicated in Nandurbar district. Now the Maharashtra government must announce the state as 'bird flu-free' so that fears of bird flu among the consumers will gradually fade away, he said.

"Besides, the intra-state transfer ban imposed on the Maharashtra's poultry products must be lifted. It will help the situation improve," he said.