Fears of coronavirus, which left an upsetting effect on the poultry industry for wrong reasons, has resulted in amazing consumption of the greens and vegetables during the last one week. The farmers of the western mandals of the tail-end Chittoor district, cultivating the vegetables in vast stretches, are now a happy lot with rush of consumers to markets, post the onion crisis.
The coronavirus fears, which had initially threatened the fish markets in January, led to total absence of seafood. Later, the meat industry too took a beating, but it could romp back to normalcy soon. However, the chicken shops which bore the brunt of corona threat continue to suffer the worst following fast plummeting of the sales and prices. Chittoor district has a healthy number of poultry units, concentrated in the western mandals, from chicks to layers and broilers.
During the last one week, the chicken price took a nosedive from ₹190 a kg to ₹120 in several parts of the Chittoor district. However, in Nagari and surrounding villages in the eastern side, the price took a beating at just ₹80 a kg, and yet there are no takers.
The immediate impact of the scenario is that the vegetable markets and roadside vendors are reaping the benefits which they badly missed for over three months last year due to onion crisis.
The greens sold at ₹20 a bunch in August-September last year had later fell to ₹10 a bunch. “Now, we are selling three bunches for ₹10. The production of green leaves is terrific everywhere thanks to the rains north-east monsoon last year, and continuous soil and air moisture till now,” Murugesh, a vegetable shopkeeper in Nagari, said.
Chan Basha, a chicken shop operator in Madanapalle, observed that since the outbreak of coronavirus in China, the number of consumers visiting the shops here (Chittoor district) slowly dwindled. “It is very strange. We can’t convince the consumers that coronavirus has nothing to do with chickens. Time alone will allay their fears,” he said.
A poultry farm owner at Bangarupalem said that the chicken sales would take a sudden jump from March onward and would peak in May with the arrival of “jatara” season, when the public would celebrate the occasions at village temples. “Unfortunately, we are gravely missing the business now. The loss could be several crores of rupees in Chittoor district, with its two hundred plus poultry farms,” he said.
Awareness camps
Chittoor district’s Joint Director (Animal Husbandry) S. Venkatrao told The Hindu that despite the statement of the State authorities of the wing that chicken consumption has nothing to do with coronavirus spread, the public fears continues. “We are contemplating to organise a series of awareness camps all over the district to dispel public fears connecting coronavirus spread to chicken consumption. We will involve the municipal corporations and all the civic bodies,” he said.
