Kathmandu, February 1
The government has claimed that the bird flu outbreak has not affected any chicken of Nepal yet, adding some ducks and turkeys raised in an ill environment contracted the infection.
The Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Shreeram Ghimire says around 2,300 turkeys and ducks found in the infected area of Sanglekhola, Tarakeshwar municipality-7 of Kathmandu have already been destroyed and the area has been disinfected.
However, poultry farmers and entrepreneurs say they are worried about the likely impact of the outbreak on their business.
Junga Bahadur BC, the president of National Chicken Seller Association, says the Nepali market consumes around 500,000 kilograms of chicken meat every day, around 60 per cent of which is sold within the Kathmandu valley.
“The market hit by Covid-19 was reviving to some extent,” he says, “But, here is a terror of bird flu again.”
The chicken meat is being sold for around Rs 350 per kilogram currently, and the traders fear the bird flu outbreak can cause a significant drop.
The Department of Livestock Services has clarified that the consumers do not need to fear immediately. Nonetheless, they need to maintain needful safety measures.
