Farmers in the two states have reportedly begun
culling chickens, while the state governments have restricted supply of chicken
across their borders.
After coronavirus hit consumption of chicken and eggs to a
multi-year low, poultry farmers in Karnataka and Kerala are facing another
problem - bird flu or, formally, the H5N1 virus.
The source is migratory birds from the east.
Farmers in the two states have reportedly begun culling
chickens, while the state governments have restricted supply of chicken across
their borders.
“Bird flu
indications are found in the Mysore region of Karnataka, among small farms with
3,000-4,000 birds.
"In
fact, farmers had found some dead migratory birds which they carried into their
farms, which was the major cause of the outbreak.
"The flu
later spread throughout the farm,” said K G Anand, general manager ay
Venkateshwara Hatcheries, producer and retailer of the Venky's brand of chicken
products.
From those
small farms in Karnataka, the bird flu spread to Kerala.
“Normally,
farmers transport 1-1.5 million birds (cocks and hens) from Karnataka to
Kerala. That is how it spread to Kerala,” said Sanjeeb Chintawar,
business manager, National Egg Coordination Committee.
Normally,
bird flu outbreaks are reported in February and March, due to widening
differences in temperature between day and night.
In this
period, birds normally travel from cold regions in search of warm weather, with
India a favourite destination.
“Farmers in
Kerala and Karnataka have taken adequate care to contain the spread.
"The
situation is under control now,” says Chintawar.
The spread of
Covid-19 had prompted farmers to sell broiler chicken at Rs 5 a kg in parts of
Maharashtra.
With Rs 30-35
a kg in North India, the average price is Rs 15 a kg - cost of production is
said to be Rs 75-80 a kg.
“It will take
at least a year for poultry farmers to recover from the current loss, if Covid
-19 is contained and the situation becomes normal,” mourns Anand.
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