Patna: Chicken prices have drastically come down in the twin Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand in the past one week as a result of the prevailing bird flu scare across the country. Although bird flu has not been officially confirmed in the twin states, the continuing deaths of chickens, crows and owls have caused panic among the general masses.
Poultry owners said their business was slowly picking up momentum after COVID-19 outbreak but now bird flu scare has further hit them hard as only few customers were reaching them to buy chickens. Majority of the buyers are labourers, students and those who are either unaware about the bird flu deaths in the country or just want to take advantage of the falling prices of chickens.
“Till last week, we had been selling chickens at average price of Rs150 a kilogram but now we are compelled to sell them at Rs100 as there are few buyers,” said Surendra Kumar, a chicken shop owner. According to him, previously he used to sell around one quintal chickens but currently he is able to sell hardly around 50 to 60 kg a day.
Another chicken shop owner said the poultry business had suffered repeated loss in the past one year and he was thinking of switching over to another business to survive. “I have been in the business for the past over six years and earned good fortunes but of late we have encountered one trouble after another. We ran into huge financial loss last year as a result of the lockdown and this year bird flu has destroyed us,” the owner of the Chikenwala. “The government wants us to stand on our feet but how can we do when our business suffers at frequent intervals?” he asks.
Ideal season
The same kind of situation prevails in Jharkhand state where too chicken’s price has fallen by more than 50 per cent in the past few days. A poultry owner said the per day demand of chickens in Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand, was around 75,000 kilogram which has now come down to 30,000. “The period between December and January is considered the ideal season for poultry business but the bird flu fear has caused us much harm,” says a Ranchi-based businessman Santosh Kumar.
The deaths of fowls, crows and owls have been reported from various parts of Bihar but the reason behind their death is yet to be confirmed as the laboratories are yet to submit the report. However, the state government has sounded alert across the state as a preventive measure and advised the masses to stay away from consuming chickens until the situation gets normal.
The bird flu outbreak has been reported from at least nine Indian states so far, such as Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, prompting culling of poultries on a large scale to prevent spread of the disease. Haryana has reported the highest number of bird deaths. As per reports, more than 400,000 birds have died in the last few weeks. The reports added that the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has asked other states to keep a vigil on any unusual mortality among birds.
According to a statement issued by the government, Avian Influenza (AI) viruses have been circulating worldwide for centuries with four known major outbreaks recorded in the last century. India notified the first outbreak of avian influenza in 2006. Infection in humans is not yet reported in India though the disease is zoonotic. “There is no direct evidence that AI viruses can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of contaminated poultry products,” the statement said. Implementing management practices that incorporate bio security principles, personal hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection protocols, as well as cooking and processing standards, are effective means of controlling the spread of the AI viruses, the statement added.
from World,Europe,Asia,India,Pakistan,Philipines,Oceania,Americas,Africa Feed https://ift.tt/3bxxHpa
No comments:
Post a Comment