Poultry business down by up to 60% in Punjab
PATIALA : Even as a bird flu case is yet to be confirmed in Punjab, the poultry business in the state has taken a hit due to fall in demand and prices thereof.
Delhi and Himachal Pradesh governments’ ban on supply of poultry products into their jurisdiction has added to the woes of the poultry farmers in the state.
The average prices of poultry meat have come down by up to 60% from ₹180 per kg to ₹95 per kg.
State president of Punjab progressive poultry farmers’ association Mohinder Arora said the poultry business remained stable even during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic, but avian influenza outbreak has dented the industry severely.
“The prices of eggs have come down from ₹6-6.5 per piece to ₹3.5-4. Punjab produces around 1.25 crore eggs daily, of which, 60% are transported to parts of Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. But with reports of flu outbreak, the demand for eggs has witnessed a downfall of 80%,” Arora said, adding the chicken meat business was down by up to 60%.
A leading poultry dealer from Bathinda, Harnek Singh, said the region has witnessed a fall of more than 60% since bird flu outbreak was reported.
The retail price of broiler chicken on Thursday was ₹150/ kg against the earlier average rate of ₹200/kg.
Similarly, live birds were available at ₹63/kg against ₹100/ kg earlier. Patiala-based poultry farmer Bhupinder Singh said, “People are reluctant to buy meat and eggs. Even the supply to hotels and restaurants has come down by 90%. Instead of creating fear in the minds of people, the governments of respective states should come up with awareness campaigns regarding poultry products,” Singh said.
Arora said if the ban on bird and meat supply to Delhi and Himachal Pradesh prolongs for some more days, the poultry farmers will be badly hit.
GS Bedi, president of Amritsar poultry industry association, said, “The rate of 100 eggs was ₹550 earlier, which has now come down to ₹400-450. There is a need for awareness campaigns so that the poultry industry can be saved from ruin. No human has died due to bird flu in India in the last 15 years.”
A hotelier in Patiala said the orders for non-vegetarian food have witnessed a steep decrease. “What is the point of ordering raw meat when there is hardly any consumption,” he said.
Meanwhile, the reports of dead chickens found dumped on a roadside in Patiala recently have come negative for bird flu.
“The government has already issued advisory to people that cooked poultry products can be consumed,” deputy director of animal husbandry department Dr Rajinder Kumar Goyal said.