Bird flu pushes poultry industry to the edge

Farm-owners incurring huge losses due to decline in the sale of chicken and eggs

April 21, 2015 12:00 am | Updated April 22, 2015 11:15 am IST - KARIMNAGAR:

The outbreak of bird flu has cast a shadow on the poultry industry with the steady decline of the market for broiler chicken and eggs.

The poultry farm-owners are worried over the decline in the sale of chicken and eggs,

They are incurring huge losses due to no market following the bird flu scare. There are around 100 and odd layer poultry farms in the district producing 18 lakh to 20 lakh eggs per day, which is highest in the region.

The outbreak of bird flu had become a cause for concern. Even schools and Anganwadi centres which serve eggs for mid-day meals have removed egg from their menu.

Ramana Reddy, owner of Sneha poultry farm in Mallapur village of Thimmapur mandal said that eggs rate had come down to Rs 2.40 per piece and huge stocks have been piled up.

“We will get profit only if we sell each egg at the rate of Rs 2.80 or Rs 3. But, we are forced to sell at Rs 2.40 per egg incurring losses. There is no movement of eggs within the State and outside also”, he complained.

Worst-hit

Similarly, the broiler poultry farmers are also worst affected due to bird flu. Sudheer Reddy, a poultry farmer of Bejjanki mandal said that usually the poultry industry suffers during peak summer with high mortality rate of the birds due to temperature crossing 40 degree Celsius.

This time, the outbreak of bird flu had affected the industry, he said and added that the live birds were being sold at Rs 50 per kilogram when compared to Rs 70 and above before the outbreak of bird flu.

The poultry farmers spend around Rs 150 on each bird for a period of 45 to 50 days to increase the weight of the bird to two kilograms and above. In turn, the farmer is getting only Rs 100 to Rs 112 per bird, he added. It is a big set back to the poultry industry, he said and urged the government to come to the rescue of farmers.

Veterinary doctors of the Animal Husbandry Department said that they were educating people that the consumption of chicken and eggs would not cause any health problems.

Yet, people were reluctant to consume poultry products but the situation would soon come under control, they said.

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