BIRD FLU might have created a flutter in the country, but it has only raised the heckles of the Poultry Product Traders Association. The Association is not impressed at all.
“It seems to be an act to defame the poultry industry of the country by a few countries with vested interests,” alleged Association president and proprietor of Zahoor Ahmad and Sons, Haji Javed, while talking to the Hindustan Times over the phone.
Javed said the country’s export market was steadily expanding and has achieved the fifth position in the world as the largest poultry producer. According to Javed, the suspected cases pf bird flu have been reported in Maharashtra, which has recently got huge orders of export of poultry products from countries like Japan, Iran and Iraq. Therefore, countries that lost out on the deal were trying to defame the country.
Javed said the pharmaceutical company producing the vaccine for bird flu is also suspected of playing foul, so that its product sales get a boost. He said that if India starts using the vaccine, then countries with malafide intention will be able to project their product as safe and hygienic and would be able to recapture the market, which they lose worldwide.
He said that already a team of traders had left for Maharshtra from Jabalpur and another team of traders would be going from Uttar Pradesh to examine the reality at the affected site. He demanded the government not to burn all the birds on the pretext that they were infected by bird flu. However, the same should be sent for examination to concerned laboratories, so that the actual cause of their disease could be identified. Javed said the incident of birds dying at Bakewar, Etawah was due to congestion in birdcages.
{{/usCountry}}He said that already a team of traders had left for Maharshtra from Jabalpur and another team of traders would be going from Uttar Pradesh to examine the reality at the affected site. He demanded the government not to burn all the birds on the pretext that they were infected by bird flu. However, the same should be sent for examination to concerned laboratories, so that the actual cause of their disease could be identified. Javed said the incident of birds dying at Bakewar, Etawah was due to congestion in birdcages.
{{/usCountry}}The traders also said that in history, bird flu has never been reported in birds produced as broilers, whereas, in few countries, it had been found in birds used for laying eggs known as “Layer”.
Moreover, according to medical experts, if cooking of the poultry product is done above 70 degree Celsius, then bacteria of such infectious diseases would be destroyed, which is mostly followed in India, added traders. They said that most of their supply was from local farms. However, they were getting some supply of chicks from Varanasi and Punjab area, added traders.
When asked about the market condition, they said it has affected the sale of broilers about 30% and egg sale to 70%. They further said that yet rates of boilers were the same and they were keeping a close watch on the development in the bird flu issue.
The biggest wholesaler of the city and proprietor of National Egg Store, Yamin said that bird flu had affected egg sale by 70% and at present, the sale was between two to three lakh. With this, traders had been forced to reduce prices between each box between Rs 25 to Rs 50. However, he said that egg eaters of Kanpur need not worry as the egg supply is coming from the Andhra Pradesh and Punjab and not from Maharashtra.
However, he suggested that till the time that the bird flu is not ruled out, it would be better to avoid semi-cooked and half-fried eggs. Yamin said traders were keeping track of all development and said that for further authentic taste the sample has been sent to London in United Kingdom.
Another, trader and proprietor of Saidass Egg Brother of Gumti Number Panch Saidass expressed almost same story about his trade’s condition as Yamin.
Few others engaged with poultry product business like Satyendra Katiyar owner of a poultry farm at Mandhana, Shahid owner of poultry farm at Fatehpur district and Zuber partner of Zahoor Ahmad and sons poultry product expressed their views almost similar to Haji Javed and Yamin.