Delhi: Poultry sales dropped by 50 per cent amid bird flu scare

With the anxiety of bird flu or avian influenza spreading fast, people are not buying eggs and chickens much, which gave a fresh blow to the poultry industry.

"The sale of eggs has dropped from 200-300 trays per day to just 100-150 per day in last two days as the scare of bird flu has increased," said Vinod, an egg dealer adding that the sale was hit by up to 50 per cent.

"In just last four days, the sale per day has come down to Rs 2,000 from Rs 10,000," informed Rajesh, a chicken shop owner at INA Market.

"We are no longer able to afford our rent and are facing a huge loss," he added.

Ashgar, another chicken shop owner in the same market, said the sale of chicken was hit by at least 80 per cent.

"Earlier, we used to sale 50 chickens every day, but now it has come down to 5 chickens in a day," Ashgar said.

Avian influenza, a viral infection affecting birds have caused thousands of deaths across India. It has been confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

( With inputs from ANI )