The scare over bird flu has added to the prevailing anxiety over COVID-19 and taking a heavy toll on the poultry industry in Mysuru.
When the demand for chicken and egg from not only Mysuru, but also parts of neighbouring Kerala, had ebbed in the wake of global spread of COVID-19, the outbreak of bird flu in Kozhikode and a scare in Mysuru recently had delivered a huge blow to the poultry industry.
Even though government authorities including the Department of Animal Husbandry officials had clarified that there was no involvement of poultry in the outbreak of COVID-19 and there is no confirmation of any bird flu case in Mysuru, fake messages spread on social media against consumption of poultry had forced a lot of people to avoid chicken and eggs, said Satish Babu, the Mysuru coordinator of National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC).
Not only have people taken chicken off their menu in households, they are keeping off the dish even in hotels.
Serving of chicken and egg dishes had also come down at weddings. “Some hosts do not prefer chicken and egg dishes at weddings now”, said Mukarram, proprietor of Alishan Caterers.
The wholesale price of eggs, which were sold at an average of ₹408 for 100 eggs during 2019, had fallen to ₹ 340 now.
Due to fall in demand, several retailers had begun selling eggs for less than their purchase price. The price of egg in the retail market, which used to be around ₹5 per piece, is now less than ₹4.
The poultry farmers in Mysuru, who send about 8 to 10 lakh eggs every day to Kerala, have also been severely affected.
There are about 30 lakh layers (egg-laying hens) in Mysuru. In view of the slump, several farmers have begun a distress sale of the layers. “Even though the cost of production of a layer is ₹80 per kg, it is being sold for ₹40 per kg”, said Mr. Babu.
The prices of chicken too have hit rock bottom. The farmgate price of broilers has come down to an abysmal ₹ 20-25 per kg when the cost of production itself is ₹70 to ₹75 per kg. Each broiler bird weighs roughly around 2.2 kg, which means the farmer is getting no more than ₹50 for every kg, incurring a loss of about ₹100 for every bird.
The retail price of a kg of skinless chicken was around ₹160 to ₹180 kg before outbreak of coronavirus, but now it was available for as less as ₹60 per kg.
The condition of the poultry industry at present is worse than the situation prevailing in 2006 following the outbreak of bird flu, Mr. Babu said.
