Winter for the poultry trade is like summer time for ice-cream makers. The winter months are when consumption of rooster and eggs peaks, with these rearing broiler and layer birds additionally realising higher charges.
But this time it’s totally different, due to the outbreak of avian influenza, now confirmed in 10 states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
Since final Wednesday, when stories of deaths of birds from the illness began coming in, farmgate costs of broiler rooster have crashed from round Rs 82 to Rs 58 per kg in Maharashtra, Rs 94 to Rs 65 in Gujarat, and Rs 80 to Rs 70 in Tamil Nadu.
Over the identical interval, egg costs have fallen from Rs 5.10 to Rs 4.20 per piece in Namakkal (Tamil Nadu), Rs 5.35 to Rs 4.05 in Barwala (Haryana), and Rs 5.30 to Rs 4.50 in Pune.
ExplainedPoultry birds largely safeAlthough birds have died in 10 states thus far, the one instance of deaths in organised poultry farms has come from Haryana. Since birds in poultry farms are usually remoted, probabilities of their catching the virus from international avian species are low.
An estimated 1.3 crore dwell broiler birds and 20 crore eggs on common are offered each day in India, and these numbers can rise to 1.5 crore and 28-29 crore throughout winter. The chicken flu scare, nevertheless, has led to consumption dropping by 30-40 per cent within the final 4-5 days, in line with B Soundararajan, chairman of the Rs 8,700 crore-plus-turnover Suguna Foods Pvt Ltd.
This is sort of a repeat of the collapse that passed off after mid-January final yr, when stories of the unfold of the novel coronavirus in China had been gathering momentum. The value crash then was triggered by unsubstantiated rumours about poultry merchandise, particularly rooster meat, posing the danger of Covid-19.
This time too, concern is enjoying an element. The deaths being attributed to the avian influenza outbreak are primarily of crows, pigeons, geese, egrets/herons, peacocks, and different wild or migratory birds. Deaths of poultry birds have thus far been confirmed solely from Parbhani in Maharashtra and Barwala in Haryana. In Parbhani, free-range yard hens have died; the deaths in organised poultry farms have occurred in Barwala, which is an egg-producing hub. The 120-odd farms right here home solely layer birds.
“The carriers of the flu virus are mostly migratory birds from Siberia and other cold regions that come to India during November-February to escape the extreme winters there. They live close to water bodies here, from where local birds contract the virus. But these would be free-living birds, not the ones raised in organised poultry farms,” Soundararajan, whose firm is India’s largest broiler producer, informed The Indian Express.
Dr A S Ranade, dean of Mumbai Veterinary College, stated probabilities of birds in organised poultry farms getting contaminated had been very low. This is as a result of they’re stored in close to isolation. Meat-yielding broilers, that are reared from day-old chicks weighing 35-40 g to market-ready birds of 2-2.5 kg over 42-45 days, are housed in lined sheds with flooring having bedding materials comprised of coir pith or paddy husk. Layer poultry birds are stored in cages, additional minimising their contact with international avian species.
That makes the present outbreak all of the extra totally different. It is the supposedly hardier desi poultry breeds comparable to Kaveri and Kadaknath which might be extra vulnerable to the virus. “The Leghorn chickens reared in organised poultry farms (typically housing 7,000-8,000 birds) that adhere to scientific vaccination schedules and feeding regimens, are at far less risk,” Prasanna Pedgaonkar, basic supervisor of the Pune-based Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd, stated.
All that is of no comfort to farmers. Deepak Pawale, who owns a 40,000-bird farm at Retavadi village in Khed taluka of Pune district, is now promoting his broilers at Rs 59-60 per kg. “My production cost is Rs 74. I lost Rs 30 lakh during Covid when my birds went for Rs 10-15/kg. Just when my business was recovering, it is the turn of bird flu. Why can’t the government educate consumers against fears that have no basis?” he stated.
