Central team likely to visit bird flu-hit Nandurbar next week; demand for local lab grows

Nashik: A team of central govt officials is set to visit Nandurbar district next week to review the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, following an extensive culling operation in Navapur taluka where over 3 lakh birds from 15 infected farms have been destroyed as per WHO protocols.

Navapur — western Maharashtra’s key layer poultry hub — has borne the brunt of the outbreak, marking the third such incident in the region after earlier occurrences in 2006 and 2021. The repeated crises have significantly weakened the local poultry industry, with operational farms dropping from 60 in 2006 to 38 at present.

“Govt of India officials are likely to visit Navapur next week to take stock of the situation and speak directly to the farmers,” said Dr Baburao Narawade, the regional joint commissioner of the animal husbandry department.

He stressed that recurrent outbreaks highlight the urgent need for a dedicated laboratory or research centre in Nandurbar or the wider north Maharashtra region for early disease detection. Currently, farmers must send samples to distant labs in Pune or Bhopal, while the Nashik facility lacks capacity to test such viral infections.

“It has been 20 years, and three avian flu outbreaks have forced a section of people to move out of this business. However, many remain steadfast and ready to face these challenges,” Narawade said, adding that the sector continues to provide critical local employment.

Navapur, a tribal-dominated taluka that has supplied eggs to western India since the 1950s, houses around 12 lakh layer birds producing nearly 10 lakh eggs daily. Over 80% of this output is transported to Surat, with the remainder catering to north Maharashtra.

Farmers say establishing a local laboratory in Navapur — or upgrading the Nashik facility — would reduce costs and delays, speed up diagnosis and research efforts, and strengthen biosafety awareness among producers and consumers alike.