Covid-19 hatches up poultry industry’s doom in Bijnor

LUCKNOW/BIJNOR: For Bijnor's poultry farmer Narender Deshwal, feeding 20,000 birds at his hatchery cost Rs 1 lakh daily. Now, with business hitting a rock bottom in view of coronavirus scare, his assets have turned into liability. Thanks to unsubstantiated social media shares linking non-vegetarian food to the spread of infection, the poultry business across the state has taken a severe hit, forcing the UP government to come out with an advisory allaying fears of panic-stricken chicken and egg-eaters in the state.
“The coronavirus is transmitted human to human and as per World Animal Health Organization (OIE); poultry has not been found to be involved in transmission of coronavirus to humans so far," the advisory said, adding "consumption of Indian poultry and poultry products including eggs is safe.A general hygiene, however, may be followed.”
The Centre in its letter dated March 5 and addressed to all the states had said that because of this misleading information, sale of eggs and chicken meat has drastically suffered and millions of poultry farmers dependent on poultry farming are under threat of losing their livelihood.
Despite the advisory, the industry has suffered a jolt already.
Deshwal himself was forced not only to destroy eggs but also new-born chicks as he was not even able to support their maintenance. He has already buried 36,000 chicks in the past two weeks. Now, bigger challenge is what to do with 20,000 alive birds at the moment. Two days day ago, a Bulandshahr-based poultry farm buried 6,000 birds alive to reduce losses.
Owing to the fall in demand, wholesale price of chicken has come down drastically and is available at Rs 40 per kg in the market as compared to Rs 90 a kg earlier.
Ali Akbar, president, UP Poultry Association, said: “To say in terms of financial loss is difficult right now but poultry industry in the state has collapsed. Hatcheries and farms are closing down. While government advisory has yet not reached all, social media messages creating scare have reached all and sundry.”
Hatcheries are destroying fertilised eggs and poultry farms are culling chicks as there are no buyers. “Some are selling chicken for free,” said the association’s president.
Moolchand, who runs a poultry farm at Dhampur-Nahtaur road in Bijnor, said, “I had set up a poultry farm two years ago with 30,000 birds. The earning was good. Things went wrong after the spread of coronavirus and the rumour on social media. Even the egg’s prices have come down from Rs 4.95 to Rs 2.15 per piece. On Wednesday, egg was sold at Rs 1.65 per piece.”
“The government should come forward and extend helping hand,” he added.
But, the government’s efforts didn’t calm the frayed nerves.
As per state government’s poultry cell, UP has 650 poultry farms that are subsidised by government but there are thousands of private farms as well.
Poultry industry involves lakhs of people considering that it’s a long chain of breeding farms, hatcheries, poultry farms and market. Beyond poultry farmers, others involved are labourers, transporters, maize and Soya farmers, vaccine and medicine manufacturers and suppliers.
Dr Todarmal, joint director, poultry cell, animal husbandry department, UP, said, “We are telling people through various forums that eating eggs and chicken is safe. We are also studying the market.”
The same chicken may be stored by meat processing units at minus 40 degrees for days and they would make money by selling it once the demand increases, he said. The demand might shoot up after Navratras.