Continuous rain for the past three days is feared to have added to the death of livestock in Ganjam district due to Phailin cyclone.
The worst affected livestock sector in the district is the poultry industry. As per Ashok Mohanty, owner of a large poultry farm in the district, the bird mortality has increased due to the recent rains.
“As the sheds have been damaged by the cyclone, it has become too hard to save the surviving birds,” he said.
According to Trinath Nayak, Deputy Director of Odisha Biological Product Institute’s satellite unit in Berhampur who is also in-charge Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) of Ganjam, there are 24 major layer poultry farms and 92 big broiler farms in the district.
Ganjam is the major poultry producer in Odisha.
As per Mr. Nayak, 16 layer farms and 19 broiler farms have been damaged by the cyclone. In all, 153 sheds of poultry farms were blown away by the cyclonic storm. Total number of eggs damaged was 3,71,900 and number of chicks killed was 91,400. Around 5,74, 800 16-week-old layers and 87,400 more than 12-week-old grower poultry were killed by the cyclone.
This number has been increasing every day since the continuous rains started.
The loss to livestock is curtailed to some extent due to preparedness for the cyclone.
Around 827 milking cows and buffaloes died during the cyclone.
The casualty of sheep and goat was 2,645. Eighty-nine bullocks and 143 calves had become victims of the cyclone.
