TAD NewsDesk, Maharashtra: After a month of the first case of Bird Flu being reported in Maharashtra, the prices remain low. However, the consumption level has reached back to normal, the industry reported. This is a result of their attempt to clear their inventory.
Winter is a time when the industry earns the highest of profits due to higher level of consumption. While this year the bird flu has brought lowest of the profits in the same season. This December, the average farm gate prices (the price at which farmers sell their market ready 2-2.5 kg birds) was Rs 81 per kg, which dipped to Rs 60/kg in January. Prices continue to remain low in February at Rs 56/per kg.
In January after the news of the detection of the first case of bird flu in Maharashtra, people reduced the consumption out of fear even though properly cooked meats and eggs are out of any threat. Even though the consumption has come back to normal, the prices still remains to be low.
A source said,
“We hope that prices will start rising after a fortnight or so once the excess placement of stock – caused by farmers trying to sell off before prices dip further – is exhausted.”
This is the first time the state has reported an incident of bird flu since 2006. This also marks the first case of the country in Navapur taluka of Nandurbar district in Maharashtra. However, the state remained safe from it for a while until January when it had joined the list of 10 states that reported the disease in their avian population.
Till date, Maharashtra has reported culling of 7.12 lakh birds, and destruction of 26.03 lakh eggs and 72,974 kg of poultry feed. As many as 5.74 lakh birds were culled in Navapur taluka alone. The state government has distributed compensation worth Rs 338.13 lakh.
The bird flu crisis has hit the industry at a time when it is already trying to recover its losses from the previous year’s Covid 19 Pandemic. People associated poultry birds and eggs to the spread of the disease and the industry had to dip in the loss of crores throughout the year.
Source: The Indian Express
