Punjabis going veg in view of bird flu scare

LUDHIANA: That chicken sales have dipped in Punjab may seem unbelievable at first. Punjabis who are known to relish butter chicken and the ilk, have now gone vegetarian in view of the bird flu scare.
Close to 80 lakh eggs are produced in a day in Punjab of which 60 per cent are usually consumed within the state.
This explains why some poultry farmers are saying that this has been the worst season in many years.Not only has the sale of chicken gone down, the prices have also been considerably slashed, say leaders in the market.
Kaushik also said that Amritsar Poultry Farmers Chicken and Egg Mela on Thursday was aimed at dispelling myths about bird flu. All the same, experts say that the scare unnecessary and based on nothing more than rumours, irresponsibly spread by the media in some parts of the country.
Natin Kaushik, area sales manager for Punjab, Mansarovar Hatcheries, Haryana says that bird flu first arrived in Pakistan in 1992 and has not affected India so far. There no reason to panic now, he added.
Kaushik said that if somebody should be scared, it should be the poultry farmer. If no poultry farmer has fallen sick over the past two months then why are customers scared consume chicken, he pointed out.
Ajit Singh, chief executive, National Egg Co-ordination Committee (NECC) at Chandigarh said that there is not even a single case of bird flu in the country so far. He said that it was unfortunate that the scare has spread in the country due to its close proximity Pakistan.
Dr S P Singh, a poultry expert and veterinarian working with eight laboratories Venkateshwar Rai Hatcheries of Chandigarh, said his company had got a survey conducted in the early 1990s, right after the first breakout in Pakistan. Dr Singh explained that bird flu, when tested was found to be non-zoonotic disease which means it does not spread to human beings.
He said that the disease has not spread human beings even in Pakistan. He added that the scare has created unnecessary anxiety in border states like Punjab.
Kaushik said chicken and egg were now being sold at rates lower than the seasonal rates. He said that hatcheries end up spending more in winters as they have to maintain a certain temperature to ensure egg production.