NECC wary over slump in demand

HYDERABAD: Rumours of bird flu spreading through the consumption of eggs and chicken are causing panic among the people, thereby affecting the poultry business. The industry, which was among the first sectors to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic much before the lockdown due to rumours, had just recently recovered from the impact of the pandemic. 

“Last week, rumours started gaining ground over bird flu in the State, due to which there has been a slight slump in our business. Earlier, due to rumours linking the consumption of meat to Covid-19, our business had been severely affected. We are scared of a similar situation happening again,” said the owner of Dolphin Chicken Market in MS Maqta.

However, members of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) claim that while the situation has not become alarming yet, there has been a decline in the sale of meat and eggs, which is most likely to disappear in coming days. 

“As of now, the price of egg and chicken have not gone down. However, retailers and wholesalers have become cautious and are storing minimum inventory. As bird flu is a seasonal disease, we are hoping that the rumours will soon subside,” said KG Anand, general manager, Venkateshwara Hatcheries. From February to April last year, Covid-19 had pushed Telangana’s poultry industry into losses of `30,000 crore. The daily consumption of eggs in Hyderabad — which had been at 4 crore before the pandemic — went down by 60-70 per cent after February.

Now, it is at 3 crore. Meanwhile, the sale of broiler birds per month — which had been at 38 crore before the pandemic — went down to 22 crore after February, and is now at 33 crore. Stating that meat and eggs are safe to eat if cooked, a consultant physician at Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad, told Express that since bird flu can easily spread to poultry, it is important to minimise the risk when it comes to consumption of raw meat and eggs.