Chicken soup for flu fears

Faced with the worst slump in recent history because of Avian Flu in South-East Asia, the poultry industry has planned Chicken and Egg Melas...

Faced with the worst slump in recent history because of Avian Flu in South-East Asia, the poultry industry has planned Chicken and Egg Melas to create public awareness about the safety of their products in the country.

In these melas, organised jointly by the poultry producers associations of some of the northern states and Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group, chicken and egg delicacies will be offered free of cost at major cities and towns. A meeting in this regard was held here today with associations of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal participating.

Such melas have been held at Lucknow and Amritsar. ‘‘Similar melas would be held at Dehra Dun, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Ludhiana,’’ Venkateshwara Hatcheries GM Dr R.S. Manhas said.

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Chicken prices have come down from Rs 80 to Rs 20 per kg. ‘‘Such is the scare among general public about the disease that people are not willing to take chicken even free,’’ Rakesh Kumar, a poultry farmer from Haryana, said.

The North India Breeders’ Association, an outfit of hatchery owners, has decided to cut down on production. ‘‘Though the disease hasn’t reached India, the scare has ruined business,’’ Prem Chand Sehgal, president of the Poultry Producers Association, Uttaranchal, said. Poultry producers associations of north India have decided to organise a rally on February 13 in New Delhi to highlight their plight.

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