The Hindu Business Line : Bird flu: Poultry sector seeks loan waiver

Coimbatore, March 11 The report of recurrence of bird flu in West Bengal has alarmed the domestic poultry sector, which wants the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government to take up the matter seriously and ensure that cullings are done properly.

The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), expressing concern over the latest reports, wondered how the reports now claim that some birds were left out when the State Government had declared that it had completed culling in all affected areas in January.

Being a poultry products deficit State, West Bengal used to absorb commercial eggs and broiler eggs from southern States and prior to January ban, over four crore table eggs a day and two crore hatching eggs per week were exported to that State from Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka. Now, in view of the restriction, these eggs were diverted to other markets at a distress price resulting in loss of Rs 3,000 crore to the poultry industry, it said.

Successive bird flu outbreaks since 2006 and soaring maize prices had dealt a severe blow to the poultry sector, resulting in the sharp rise in the production cost for layer and broiler producers. The break even level for egg production has increased from 90 paise to Rs 1.70 per egg and in the case of broiler, the per kg cost of production is up from Rs 27-28 to Rs 37-38. With no corresponding rise in farm-gate price, the industry has suffered Rs 15,000 crore loss in the past one year.

NECC said the impact of the bird flu had created unprecedented crisis and it called for urgent Government attention. In order to revive the industry’s fortune, the Union Government should extend the loan waiver to the poultry farmers also. NECC said this could be extended to small and marginal poultry farmers having birds upto 50,000. In respect of others in the industry, an interest subvention of 8 per cent may be provided to help them tide over the crisis.

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