–SATISH HANDA
Poultry industry in Haryana having more than 4.5 crore birds is on the verge of collapse due to extremely poor demand of eggs, cocks and hens as a result of epidemic outbreak in the country and lock down declared by the government adversely affecting trade and industry in the state. Famous poultry industry in Haryana state supplying eggs and broilers in adjoining states and wholesale Delhi market has become completely sick due to poor demand and closure of all hotels and restaurants the biggest consumers. According to poultry farmers, the news in social media that eggs and chicken meat are harmful and promote corona virus made situation further worst and prices of eggs and chicken meat witnessed more than 70% drop since past sometime. A couple of days ago poultry farmers in Bhiwani district in Haryana state unable to meet the expenses of their poultry farms buried alive more than 30000 poultry birds at village Dhigawa in Bhiwani district causing them huge loss.
According to Gurpreet Singh Honey General Secretary of Poultry Farmers Association at Ambala, poultry farmers are unable to bear the cost of their farms because of total slump in the market and meet demand of poultry feed as well as day to day labour and electricity expenses for birds when there is no sale of egg dumped in their godowns as a result a they are left with no alternative except to kill their births. According to Shivam Mittala president of Poultry farmers Association, poultry birds are dyeing of hunger posing a threat of bird flue. He said, poultry farmers at Barwala-Raipur Rani are not getting support from the residents of adjoining villages making frequent complaints against the poultry farms to the government administration for spreading pollution in the area due to large number of farms in the area.
Mittal said that a bird needs minimum 70 gm feed in a day but due to non-availability of feed including rice, bajra and wheat in the market, rates jumped too high all of sudden and financial crisis faced by them at present poultry farmers are providing only 25-30 gm feed to each bird as such birds are dyeing of hunger and most of the poultry farmers has decided to kill the birds. He demanded, government should save once famous the second largest eggs producing poultry industry in the country on the verge of collapse at this critical time.
