THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bird flu scare has failed to have an impact on the poultry products’ sale in Thiruvananthapuram. According to poultry farmers and restaurants association, there is no decline in demand for poultry products, including chicken and eggs, despite the scare and the news on bird flu.
President of Kerala Poultry Farm and Traders Association Moideen Rawther said there is no drop in the demand for poultry products in Thiruvananthapuram. According to him, the district consumes a minimum of 50,000 kg chicken per day and during the Christmas and New Year season, the consumption was beyond 1,00,000 kg per day.
“We had more business than expected during Christmas and new year. Now, there is a slight decline in the sale but it’s not because of the bird flu scare, but it is a normal phenomenon. After every festival, people have a tendency not to buy meat or poultry for at least two weeks. The market trend has always been like that and we don’t see any drastic drop in sales. The market will pick up in the coming week,” said Moideen Rawther. He said people are not scared as they are well aware of avian flu.
“Thiruvananthapuram district has become more self-sufficient and has more poultry production than in previous years. Now 80% of the poultry being sold in the district are produced locally and only 20% is being brought from Tamil Nadu. Earlier, 80% of the poultry was brought from Tamil Nadu,” said Moideen Rawther.
The Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association district president B Vijayakumar said that the bird flu hadn’t affected the hotel business. “The sale is normal and we don’t think people are trying to avoid dishes made of poultry products. Also, we haven’t received any such feedback from any of the hotels having affiliation with our association,” said B Vijayakumar.