Poultry sales dip at shops, restos

BIRD FLU PECKS AWAY AT BUSINESS

Chicken, egg sales down by 50% at poultry stores; eateries see a shift to mutton and 25-30% dip in chicken consumption

While the poultry industry was one of the many that got impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now reeling under a fresh threat thanks to the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

Amid infections reported in several parts of the state and country, the sale of poultry and its products has naturally seen a distinct dip in the city, too. Further, while poultry shop owners claim they are facing losses in sales of egg and chicken despite reducing prices, hoteliers have also pointed out a dip in consumption of chicken and egg items at their eateries.

Restaurateurs have registered a 25-30 per cent dip in consumption of poultry products in recent days, and also pointed out that demand for mutton food items seems to have increased commensurately.

Poultry shop owners, on the other hand, are seeing a higher dip in sales of chicken items, ranging from 40 to 50 per cent. With no option left, they have started offering discounts to encourage buyers.


For instance, the owner of the Amir Chicken shop in Dhankawadi, Amir Qureshi, said his sales have almost halved, and customers are also loath to enter the store. “We are already in debt due to losses during the lockdown last year. Just as business was getting back to normal, we have had to start offering discounts and cutting profits once more,” he narrated.

Similarly, Suryakant Veer, who owns the Chicken Vikan shop on Satara Road, reported a drastic lowering of chicken sales by at least 50 per cent. “People are scared of the news of bird flu that has gone viral since last week. The ban on poultry products in parts of Delhi has created fear in the public, too. Interestingly, the sale of eggs has remained unaffected for us.”

The hotel industry is also reeling from the double whammy. Sachin Bhanudas Kotkar, the owner of Hotel Sandeep in Shivajinagar who has been in the restaurant business for the last 35 years, claimed the effects of bird flu following the COVID outbreak might cripple parts of their sector. “There is a huge increase in the number of customers consuming mutton items. Its preference over chicken has increased without a doubt in the last few days. Meanwhile, we all follow strict COVID safety protocols and hygiene measures at our eateries to avoid any kind of infection passing,” said Kotkar, adding, “In most Indian items, high temperatures are used for cooking — these kill all pathogens, whether in poultry or mutton. It is absolutely safe to consume chicken items at the moment. Had there been any issue, our animal husbandry department would have notified us immediately to take measures.”

Confirming the ongoing fall in consumption of poultry products at eateries and calling it yet another challenge for the hotel industry after the coronavirus, Pune Hoteliers Association president Ganesh Shetty said, “The Union health ministry has also declared that poultry food cooked at a high temperature is safe for consumption. The problem arises only in raw or semi-raw chicken consumed by people. Raw chicken food items are not served. Even today, we serve just 50 percent of customers due to capacity limitations as per COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs). And now, bird flu will further cut down those numbers, too. Also, there are no bird flu cases in Pune district yet. Those suspected earlier in some tehsils tested negative for avian flu later.”