August 6, 2007

Bird flu devastates north-eastern India's poultry producers
 

Poultry producers in north-eastern India are reeling from the impact of the recent bird flu outbreak in Manipur state, incurring losses totalling about Rs6.7 billion (about US$165.596 million).

With local authorities prohibiting inter-state transport of poultry products, chicken supplies to the regions of Manipur and Nagaland have been cut off, while some 17 hatcheries in and around Guwahati city in neighbouring Assam state have shut down.

Additionally, authorities in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland have banned poultry sales within those regions, and the total turnover of north-eastern India's poultry sector plunged by at least 67 percent in the past week, according to JK Talukdar, president of North-eastern Poultry and Egg Federation (Nepef).

In Manipur, disease-containment measures continued, with some 43,000 chickens and 4,000 ducks culled on Jul 30. Other materials considered to be at risk of infection, including eggs and poultry feed, were also destroyed.