Bird Flu outbreak in chicken, other birds brings poultry sales down by 30% in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Chicken and poultry sales in Madhya Pradesh have taken a beating in the wake of the bird flu outbreak in at least eight districts.

Representatives of the chicken and poultry farms from Bhopal and other districts met with senior officials of the state animal husbandry department on Friday and informed them about their business having taken a beating of around 30% due to the Bird Flu related restrictions and scare among the public.

According to reports from major cities of MP, the sale of chicken has actually dipped by 30-50% in some cities, including Jabalpur, Indore and Bhopal.

Confirming the meeting with the representatives of the chicken-poultry farms, the state’s Director (Animal Husbandry) Dr RK Rokde told The New Indian Express that so far the outbreak of the Bird Flu among birds and chicken has been reported from eight districts, including Indore, Neemuch, Guna, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Khandwa and Khargone.

The samples of dead crows from CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district Sehore, however, have tested negative for the avian influenza virus.

“Test reports of dead birds and crows from 12 other districts, however, are still awaited,” Rokde added.

Meanwhile, in fresh development sudden deaths of around 23 crows, bagula (heron) and even a koyal have been reported from various parts of the state's most populated city, Indore.

The deaths of these birds have been reported from localities like Residency area as well localities near the Indore Municipal Corporation and Depalpur area of rural Indore.

As a precautionary measure, chicken-poultry sales and commercial movement of chicken and poultry products from farms to shops in Indore district has been banned for next seven days.

Sale of mutton too has been banned as most of the chicken shops are also into the business of red meat. “The 17 chicken shops in Moosakhedi area (which are situated in the vicinity of Residency-Daly College area where crows’ deaths were reported first) have been sealed.

It was from one of these chicken shops only that swab samples extracted from chicken cutting knife and table top had tested positive for the Bird Flu virus on Thursday,” Indore district deputy director (animal husbandry) Dr Pramod Sharma said.

“Also, 197 birds (chicken) from the 17 sealed shops in Moosakhedi area of Indore, have been culled and all these shops have been sanitized and disinfected too. Surveillance of chicken-poultry shops in the 10 km area of these shops in Indore is presently underway,” Sharma said.