It is almost certain that Kuttanadan duck curry would be missing from most Christmas platters as bird flu (H5N1) outbreak in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts has prompted authorities to ban the movement and sale of duck in several local bodies in and around Kuttanad and Upper Kuttanad regions.
While foodies would miss the dish, it is debilitating times for farmers and several others involved in duck farming and allied business. The outbreak in the region, fourth in seven years, has put duck farming in Kuttanad at a crossroads.
Second in a year
The number of duck raisers in Kuttanad has dwindled over a period of time and at present, there are around 1,000 big duck farmers, while several thousands, such as small farmers owning a few hundred birds, meat traders, and egg sellers, are allied to the sector. With the region seeing frequent outbreaks of avian influenza, many are contemplating abandoning the business. “It is the second time in less than a year that the bird flu has struck my farm. I have suffered a loss of ₹20 lakh. The government compensation will not be adequate. Due to bird flu outbreaks and other infections, duck farming is turning out to be a nightmare,” says Binnychan Xavier from Nedumudi.
In six panchayats
The avian flu reported from six grama panchayats — three each in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts — has directly impacted fewer than 20 farmers. However, it has put the stakeholders in deep trouble with the authorities regulating the trade of meat and eggs of ducks along with chicken and quail in a bid to tackle the disease spread.
The farmers raise ducks (Chara and Chembally — two local breeds) with an eye on Christmas and Easter seasons. According to farmers’ associations, between 10 lakh and 15 lakh birds are reared in the region for this Christmas festive period. While the farmers who lost ducks (around 75,000 both culled and dead) to the disease are entitled to a compensation of ₹200 for a bird older than two months and ₹100 for those less than two months old, the unaffected farmers, prevented from selling the ducks, are in a precarious situation. A farmer gets around ₹250 for a 120-day-old duck during Christmas.
Voracious eaters
“We don’t know what future holds for duck farmers in Kuttanad. Things look very uncertain. At present, there are 32,000 ducks on my farm. If the ban is not lifted before Christmas, I will suffer huge losses. Ducks are voracious eaters and I can’t keep them at one place beyond a certain period. It is not sustainable to hand-feed the birds,” says Kunjumon Vettikeeruparambu of Nazarath in Nedumudi.
Solutions
Experts say the recurring outbreaks and mass death and culling of ducks is a serious threat to the sustainability of duck farming. “Frequent bouts of the avian flu will see the local breeds going extinct. Farmers move ducks to other places for feeding and there is little we can do to prevent the birds from contracting the disease. But we can make the outbreaks less severe. Registration should be made mandatory for farmers. There should be a cap on the number of birds a farmer can raise. Insurance scheme should be introduced for all farmers,” said an official of the Animal Husbandry Department, adding that apart from the Government Duck Farm at Niranam, a second duck farm should be set up far away from Kuttanad to protect the local breeds.
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