Poultry Farmers in Kerala are in Grave Worry as Bird Flu Outbreaks

Amid the concerns about the dropping sales of the poultry, the outbreak of bird flu in Kerala has made the circumstances for poultry farmers in the region more worrisome. The bird flu outbreak has been reported from two poultry farms in Kozhikode district in Kerala. The sudden outbreak has made authorities order the culling of ducks and hens within a one-kilometer radius of the affected areas. The culling of birds is done to take up to prevent the spread of the virus to the nearby areas.

The farmers were already in grave worry because of the low sales due to the rumors of coronavirus. And with the bird flu outbreak, it has become more difficult for the poultry farmers to cope with the circumstances. However, poultry farmers in Kerala maintain the safety protocols to avoid the chances of bird flu to spread.

Commenting on the current scenario, A Singaraj, President of All India Poultry Products Exporters Association, said, “Poultry farms are disinfected frequently and proper hygienic methods adopted to prevent any outbreak. There are no chances for bird flu to spread due to better sanitization practices followed by us. All vehicles entering a poultry farm were sanitized and workers adopt better hygienic practices.”

With the start of the year, the poultry farming sector has experienced some significant changes. According to a recent report, a loss of Rs 2000 crore has been observed after the coronavirus outbreak in Kerala. The prices have also dropped down to Rs 30 per kg instead of Rs 80 per kg.