KATHMANDU, JANUARY 7

Nepal has halted import of all kinds of poultry products from India after a surge of bird flu in the southern neighbour.

As the cases of bird flu has been increasing in India in the recent days, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) has directed the Department of Livestock Services to halt the import of poultry products from there.

After sending a letter to the department on Wednesday, MoALD also issued a notice today requesting all the stakeholders to remain alert.

According to MoALD Spokesperson Sri Ram Ghimire, the department has already sent letters to the quarantine check posts on the Nepal-India border to execute the ministry’s direction.

The department has sent letters to Kakkadbhitta, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Kailali and Gaddachaur borders as well as District Administration Offices of the respective districts to remain alert.

The department has also asked if they need any technical or human resource support from the central government.

The letter has mentioned to halt import of poultry, poultry products and grains from India.

However, due to the open border, bird flu could enter the country from India via any route, he said. “Despite the high alert, if for any reason bird flu-infected items enter from India through the open border, we will exercise the right of ‘bird flu control order’, which is a government-approved order,” he said.

According to the order, a committee coordinated by the Chief District Officer can take action on such issues. The committee immediately takes the infected item under control and destroys it and takes action against the person concerned, he added. However, the ministry has not mentioned till when the ban will be imposed.

Over the past few days, bird flu has been detected in more than a dozen areas, including Haryana, Kerala, Gujarat and Rajasthan along with various other areas of India.