Poultry industry to seek creation of specific farming zones

[Snowy Owl]

Poultry industry to seek creation of specific farming zones


The agricultural ministry will examine Monday a proposal to create special poultry farming zones so that the industry as a whole does not suffer when the birds are hit by diseases in a small isolated area.​

New Delhi, Delhi, India, 2007-07-29 13:45:03

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The agricultural ministry will examine Monday a proposal to create special poultry farming zones so that the industry as a whole does not suffer when the birds are hit by diseases in a small isolated area.

The proposal from the Poultry Federation of India will be discussed in detail during a meeting between agricultural ministry officials and industry representatives.

'We are going to meet the agricultural ministry Monday with two main agendas. Firstly, we want to urge the government to divide the entire country into specific poultry farming zones,' Shabbir Ahmed Khan, secretary of the Poultry Federation of India, told IANS.

Secondly, he said, the federation would ask the government to help Bangladesh, Myanmar and China to control bird flu since the northeastern states border these countries.

'We would request the government to create state-wise zones similar to what is followed in buffalo meat exports. By doing this if the strain is found in one state, then the rest of the country could at least be declared free,' Khan said.

Officials of the commerce ministry and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority are expected to participate in the Monday meeting.

The move comes in the wake of the culling of tens of thousands of poultry in Manipur after an outbreak of bird flu.

Myanmar and Sri Lanka have imposed a temporary ban on imports of poultry products from India.

Around 60,000 poultry, including chickens, ducks and pigeons, have been culled since Thursday.

'Small farmers are the worst affected during these outbreaks, forcing them to wrap up their businesses,' Khan said, adding that rumours create panic among consumers harming the industry.

According to Khan, chicken consumption in India is about 1.5 kg per capita.

The outbreak of the virulent form of the avian influenza, H5N1, in a chicken farm in Imphal was confirmed Wednesday. However, officials have said the disease was localised and has been contained.

Last year the presence of H5N1 strain was confirmed twice in western India. But not a single human case of bird flu has been confirmed till now.

 

[Niko]

Little poultry feed left after bird flu scare

Little poultry feed left after bird flu scare

Little poultry feed left after bird flu scare

// 06 aug 2007
Farmers outside the 5km danger zone of the bird flu-hit Chingmeirong farm, Manipur, India, are facing the prospect of losing healthy birds to starvation. This is due to the ban on the movement of poultry feed and the closure of poultry markets.


Following the outbreak of avian influenza, the inflow of poultry products and poultry feed from Siliguri via Assam and Nagaland has been suspended. This, in turn, has the farmers operating poultry facilities in the area worrying.

Owners of a big poultry facility, M A Poultry Farm with a rolling chicken count of 6,000, say they have feed stock for only another week. "How are we going to feed the chickens if the Government doesn't allow feed to come into the state? All our feed comes from outside and we need between 200-300 kg of feed everyday. If deprived of food, the chickens will start devouring each other. It'll be a total loss," says Ambala, a veterinarian who changed professions a decade ago when the Khuraijams entered the poultry business. Culling, it seems, would have been more remunerative although the government is giving only Rs 30 as compensation per full grown broiler chicken.

This prevailing situation outside has prompted around 250 poultry farmers to come together and form the All Manipur Poultry Farmers and Traders Association, brought into being on July 30. The Association wants the Government to understand its plight and are submitting a memorandum to Governor Dr S S Sidhu urging that culling be completed at the earliest and the region declared free of bird flu so that the markets can start functioning again.

http://www.allaboutfeed.net/news/id102-17707/little_poultry_feed_left_after_bird_flu_scare.html