Coronavirus scare: Online rumours pull chicken sales down by 50% in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Fake posts and rumours doing the rounds on social media that chicken spread novel coronavirus are reportedly taking a toll on sales in Kolkata, logging a decline of 30% to 50%.

Blaming the drop in purchase on these rumours, traders said there might be no truth in such forwards, but consumers were being influenced by them and staying away from chicken shops.“We have been trying to convince the customers, especially the regular ones, that what they’re reading on Facebook and other social media are nothing but rumours. Our sales have hit rock bottom,” said a trader, adding that the last time their sales dipped was during the bird flu scare.
West Bengal Poultry Federation general secretary Madan Mohan Maity said the problem surfaced a fortnight ago but over the past five days, sales dropped by 40% and prices 20%-30%. “The decline in egg and chicken sales due to rumours has accounted for a loss of Rs 300 crore. Wholesale prices of chicken have gone down by 50% in the past month,” he said. Kolkata consumes around 60 lakh kg chicken a week or an average of 8.6 lakh kg a day. Following the scare, the weekly consumption has come down to 24 lakh kg a week or 3.5 lakh kg a day.
Lake Market chicken retailer Satyajit Sinha Roy said, “Every day, I worry how much further the sales would dip. My daily turnover has declined by 30% over the past 15 days. Sales didn’t increase even after we reduced prices. A fortnight ago, a whole chicken sold for Rs 100 a kg. I am now offering a whole chicken at Rs 80 a kg. Dressed-chicken was priced at Rs 180 a kg a fortnight ago. It is now on offer for Rs 160 a kg. But still, we have few takers.” Echoing him, Manicktala trader Sudhakar Dhali said, “Our sales have halved. Till 15 days ago, we would sell 400kg-500kg a day. Reducing prices by Rs 30-35/kg on an average has not improved sales.” Manicktala Market Committee joint secretary Bijoy Sahu said, “This rumour about coronavirus spreading from chicken is hurting business. Sales have been consistently declining. Things haven’t improved even after traders reduced prices.”
Some citizens may not completely believe the rumours, but they don’t seem ready to ignore it either. Housewife Jayotee Mukherjee said, “It looks like a rumour, but I have kept chicken out of my shopping list. I am not taking any risk since I have kids and elderly people at home.”