Flu-hit farmers to get grant

The Maharashtra government has announced a grant of Rs 20 per bird for all poultry farmers in the state as a relief measure, a government official said on Friday.

He said the state government has earmarked about Rs 80 crore for the relief package.

"The grant will be given to all those who were rearing poultry in February, irrespective of whether their birds were culled during the bird flu outbreak or not," the official said.

Nearly 10 lakh birds were culled in Navapur and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra in February-March.

The central government had announced a grant of Rs 40 per bird, Rs 30 per broiler and Rs 10 per chick culled or destroyed during the bird flu outbreak. The relief package was to the tune of Rs 80 crore.

The Maharashtra government's relief package is over and above the central government's grant and is primarily aimed at reviving the state's poultry industry.

According to industry estimates, the poultry industry in the country suffered a loss of over Rs 500 crore due to lack of demand for chicken and eggs in the domestic as well as export markets, particularly in West Asia, following the bird flu scare.