Shaurya Sharma
Fatehgarh Sahib. April 01, 2020: In the wake of Covid 19 threat looming large the poultry farmers of the state are facing a miserable situation due to break in supply chain of eggs and chicken meat and other multiple problems. The sale of eggs and chicken meat has been hampered for the past about three weeks allegedly due to rumors of linking corona virus with eggs and poultry meat making rounds on social media sites and fake news abounding, the demand for these poultry products has plummeted. The farmers demanded bailout package from the government in this hour of crisis in form of subsidy on bajra, maize and wheat so that birds could be fed the required ration , besides allowing opening of chicken and egg shops as already allowed by Haryana state.
Deputy Director animal husbandry Dr Gurinder Singh Walia said that FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority of India) had asserted that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that corona virus spreads through eating chicken, meats and sea food.
Devki Nandan and Joga Singh leading farmers said that the closure of shops due to curfew and conjunction of Navratras proved to be the last nail in the coffin, putting a full stop to the sale of poultry products, leaving the farmers in a state of great mental and economic distress.
Joga Singh said he has about 8000 broilers and his brother Gurdeep Singh having 12000 broilers ready for marketing, but they are clueless about selling. He said that in the hour of crisis Deputy Director, animal husbandry helped them in securing permit from the Deputy Commissioner to sell chicken through home delivery, but of no use. Devki Nandan having two farms at village Hussainpura and Chanarthal kalan each of 15000 layers also got the permit to sell eggs through home delivery. He said that the sale through home delivery was not enough and stocks of more than 2 lac eggs had piled up.
Satnam Singh having broiler farm at Uchha Pind , Kamaldeep Singh of Khant Maanpur, also echoing similar sentiments said that as per NABARD, cost of production of broiler is Rs 70 per Kg live weight, but now they were ready to sell it at any price to get even a fraction of what they had spent.