Bird Flu Sanctions Crippling Kerala Poultry Farmers
INDIA – Bird flu has pushed India’s poultry sector into “deep crisis” in Kerala where prices are falling sharply across the district.
8 December 2014
2 minute read
By: An import ban for the state of Kerala has left poultry farmers with no choice but to reduce chicken prices to ensure sales and prevent wastage.
Chicken meat has halved in price, down to 70 rupees (INR) per kilo from INR160, reports The Hindu, adding that a live bird now costs INR67 per kilo, down from INR120 to INR130.
Around 300 poultry farms and 120 layer bird units are affected.
Chukka Reddy, a farmer in Manakondur mandal, said he was losing INR40 to INR50 per bird after being pressured in “distress sales”.
He told the newspaper: “Every bird consumes feed worth about INR60 to INR70 to gain four kilograms of weight. We cannot store birds that are above four kilograms as there’s no market for heavy weight birds.”
National Egg Coordination Committee national consultant, Bala Swamy, told The Hindu that winter, usually a time for a rally in poultry prices, has been a “rude shock” this year.
He added that the outbreak poses no threat to human health.
