Chicken sales drop 75% in B'lore

The poultry industry in Karnataka continued to witness a sharp drop in sales of chicken. The offtake of live birds in various markets of Bangalore dropped by some 75 per cent on Wednesday even as the government and industry resorted to damage control exercises.

According to Karnataka Hatcheries Association (KHA), chicken sales dipped to as low as 17,000-20,000 in Bangalore as against a the normal sales of 70,000 birds per day.

The industry, which had seen a marginal loss early this week after the outbreak of the bird flu in Maharashtra, witnessed a drastic fall in demand for poultry food on Wednesday. However, there was not much disruption in the sale of eggs in the Bangalore market, said Nanda Kumar, chairman, KHA.

"Despite the damage control measures of the industry and the government, consumers have stayed away from the market," he said.

On a daily basis, Bangalore consumes 70,000 birds and 1.20 crore eggs. The prices are presently ruling at Rs 20 per kg (live weight).

As of today, the egg prices were ruling at Rs 1.30 per egg at the farmgate, said NECC officials. The industry, however, hopes that the real picture will emerge in the next few days. There are 4,500 poultry farmers in Karnataka.