Poultry sector hit by feed ban
By Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI, Feb 3 – The State poultry is being pushed to the jaws of death not because of the deadly bird flu virus, but because it is being denied its share of food. The State Government’s intensive move to bar the entry of the dreaded bird flu virus in the State has started costing the existing poultry in the State the diet. The State is facing acute shortage of poultry feed, imported from West Bengal and Bihar.
The State Government, on Monday, had made stringent its norms and has virtually imposed ban on the import of poultry feed to the State along with the birds.
“The menace of bird flu may not have yet hit the State till date but if the ban on the import of poultry feed remains, the existing poultry will die due to starvation,” said Rajib Sarmah, general secretary, All Assam Poultry Farmers’ Association while talking to The Assam Tribune here today.
“Though the demand of poultry feed in the entire North East India is not less 35,00, 000 kilograms per month, the State produces merely 10 per cent of it,” Sarmah pointed out.
At present, there are only two poultry feed producing factories in the State, which are situated in Tezpur and 9 Mile areas.
It needs mention here that the State Government, as a preventive measure, has started culling of birds along the Indo-Bangla and Assam-WB borders within a 5-kilometre radius.
“The State Government must come up with an alternative to save the poultry. If the bird starts dying due to starvation, then it would further aggravate the situation,” he said.
“The local people might take the death as ‘unnatural’, which could set the alarm bells ringing,” Sarmah pointed out.
He further stated that the threat of bird flu or avian influenza has resulted in the sharp fall of poultry products in the State and a loss of several crore rupees is being estimated.
A meeting of the officials of the feed producing companies took place here today. The meeting decided to approach the Chief Minister to bail the poultry out of the crisis.
“ If the State Government is unable to produce it locally, then it can think of testing the imported feed through analyser before allowing them to enter the State market,” Sarmah proposed.