Poultry body incurs Rs 75 crore loss

Hina Rohtaki

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 24

Slamming the government and the media, the Punjab and Haryana Poultry Farmers Association today stated that it had suffered a loss of Rs 75 crore in the past 10 days due to the bird flu scare.

The association members said out of the total loss of Rs 75 crore in North India, Rs 20 crore was reported in Haryana, Rs 15 crore in Punjab and the remaining amount in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Dr SK Khanna, senior member of the association, said, “Due to the bird flu threat, the price of egg has fallen from Rs 3.85 to Rs 3.40. The rate was Rs 4.25 during winters last year.”

The association members further said the rate of meat had fallen in Delhi. “As of now, 645 quintal meat is supplied to Delhi from North India - 500 quintal from Haryana and 145 quintal from Punjab and other areas,” they said.

“Earlier, the rate was Rs 78 per kg but now it has dropped to Rs 66 for Haryana and Rs 64 for Punjab,” added another official.

“ People have stopped buying eggs and meat. Why doesn’t the administration clarify that it’s very rare that bird flu can be transmitted from a human to human,” said Khanna.