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Haryana’s poultry industry becomes victim to coronavirus scare
There has been a marked decline in consumption of chicken and eggs in Haryana this month. Those in the poultry business blame the coronavirus scare for the decline
There has been a marked decline in consumption of chicken and eggs in Haryana this month. Those in the poultry business blame the coronavirus scare for the decline in demand, which has in turn caused the prices to drop.
Sellers say there has been a 20% to 30% decrease in the prices of broiler chicken and egg in the last three weeks. The coronavirus scare has affected the earnings of multiple parties involved the poultry business, including broiler chicken farmers, layer poultry farmers, merchants and meat shop owners.
North India Poultry Farmers Association state president Lucky Lather said, “Due to continuous fall in prices, poultry farmers are unable to recover costs, let alone make a profit. The poultry industry is going through a rough phase.” There are around 8,000 small and big layer and broiler farms in the state.
In a bid to counter rumours that Covid-19 may spread through chicken, poultry farm owners have taken to organising chicken fairs to raise awareness about the deadly virus, which reportedly originated in Wuhan in China.
Broiler merchants in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Panipat districts say the market price of chicken had dropped to ₹45-₹50 per kg on Sunday from ₹70-₹75 per kg a month ago.
Prince Kumar, the owner of a chicken shop in Ladwa in Kurukshetra, said “The prices of ready-to-cook chicken have also decreased to ₹120 per kg from ₹160 per kg since the outbreak of Covid-19. Earlier, I sold 50kg of chicken a day, now my sales have dropped to 25kg.”
The prices of eggs have dropped to ₹285 from ₹290 (per 100 units) in the wholesale market. On Sunday, eggs were being sold for ₹295, while their market price on March 1 was ₹325. As per the National Egg Coordination Committee, there has been a 15% decline in the daily price of eggs since last year.
Doctors, however, say there is no connection between eating chicken or eggs and coronavirus. “There is no harm in eating cooked meat and eggs,” said Dr Sant Lal Verma, chief medical officer, Panipat, adding that people, especially owners of meat shops, should take care of hygiene while cutting a broiler chicken.
