No feed for birds, allow culling: Poultry owners

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

The poultry industry in the region is staring at losses worth hundreds of crores, as its inventory of both eggs and chicken is unable to reach the markets.

The problem has aggravated further with the government ordering a clampdown on commercial establishments and factories, including those making feed for poultry in Khanna. The feed stocks at most poultry farms are enough to last for just a day or two. Even the entry of soya and corn, from outside the state has stopped, because of restriction in interstate movement of goods.

Farm owners say they fear large-scale death of birds because of starvation, if the situation does not improve.

Jaswinder Singh Jassi, who owns a poultry farm in Khanna, says he and other poultry farmers in the area have appealed to the DC to allow scientific culling of birds at the farms, in case feed cannot be provided.

GS Bedi, president, Amritsar Poultry Industry Association, says he has sent a representation to CM Capt Amarinder Singh. “Why would anyone diversify to poultry if the government does not support it? Clamping curfew is the last nail in the coffin for the poultry industry, which is already selling live birds at a loss of Rs60 per kg, and eggs at a loss of Rs2.65 per egg,” he says, adding that the combined loss of the industry in Punjab alone is to the tune of Rs2,000 crore. He says farmers in Amritsar approached the animal husbandry department seeking nod to cull the birds, which anyway are dying of starvation. But they were turned away on the pretext that culling could be done or allowed only when there was an outbreak of disease in birds.