KOCHI: The outbreak of avian influenza (H5N8) in Kuttanad so far has not affected the poultry farmers as it has affected only the ducks which constitute only a small percentage in the Malayali’s cuisine. The price of chicken so far has not fallen and is going steady, according to the office-bearers of Poultry Farmers and Traders Samithi.
The poultry farmers, who suffered a major setback during the outbreak of Covid-19 last year, were able to recover by the end of 2020. The retail price of chicken per kilogram was Rs 119 during the Christmas season. It stood at Rs 114 on Wednesday. This shows that the demand has not come down despite the bird flu outbreak.
The primary reason, according to traders, is that the consumption of chicken is high in Kerala. “An average of 50 lakh chicken are consumed by Malayalis in a week. Meanwhile, the total number of ducks that Kerala produces in a year will come only up to five lakh. The consumption of duck is mainly seen in central Kerala. In the rest of Kerala, the chicken still remains the top choice,” said Binny Immatty, state president of the samithi.
He said of the total chicken consumed in Kerala, only 40 per cent comes from the domestic production. The rest comes from Tamil Nadu. “So far, the supply has not been affected. Moreover, we are not transporting chicken from Kerala to other states. Hence, there is no point in saying that restrictions are there for transporting our chicken to outside markets,” he added.