Farmers Movement Archive

Poultry sales dip by 10% as avian flu scare looms large

Cases of avian flu in the region have created a scare among consumers who have started avoiding poultry products. Poultry farmers say there’s nearly 10 per cent decline in the sale of eggs and broilers.Amritsar Poultry Farmers’ Association chief GS Bedi said consumers were scared but did not panic. Covid-19 taught them to include eggs in their diet for protein intake, he said.Apart from the dip in the sale of poultry products, there was some decline in their prices as well. The wholesale price of a broiler fell down from Rs90 to Rs85. Similarly, there was a decline in the price of an egg from Rs5.50 to Rs5.25.Despite it being the peak season for the poultry products, Amritsar-based poultry farmers have been incurring losses on account of the decline in the sales.Poultry farmers blame it on a ‘misplaced, negative sentiment’ generated among people after a swine flu death was reported in the city.However, a section of poultry farmers fear that the sales could decline if the cases of avian flu rise in the near future.Decline in sales is also visible on the prices of broilers and eggs in the wholesale and the retail markets.Another poultry farmer, Navdeep Singh, brushed away all rumours and categorically stated that there was no fear of infection among commercially and scientifically raised broilers and eggs.He said poultry farmers were taking all precautions against the virus as well as other infections as regular fumigation of potassium permanganate is being carried out, besides using various other disinfectants. After the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic, this exercise has been intensified, they said.

The Tribune

2021-01-07

Amritsar