Kathmandu, May 8

Following detection of bird flu across the country in recent months, consumption of chicken and eggs has dropped by as much as 25 per cent, according to poultry entrepreneurs.

The countrywide daily consumption of chicken, which used to be 510 tonnes during normal times, has come down to nearly 400 tonnes in the last two weeks due to the fear of bird flu, said Jung Bahadur Belbase, president of Nepal Chicken Sellers Business Association.

According to Belbase, Kathmandu valley consumes nearly 250 tonnes of chicken meat on a daily basis during normal times. As the consumption rate of both chicken and eggs have come down drastically in Kathmandu valley compared to other cities, the price of broiler chicken has dropped to Rs 315 per kilogram from Rs 380 per kg three months ago. Eggs, which were priced at Rs 390 per crate around February, are now available at Rs 250 per crate.

In the first week of March, the H5N1 virus, popularly known as bird flu, was detected in poultry farms in Kathmandu, Kavre, Makawanpur and Chitwan — the major producers and suppliers of chicken in the domestic market.

The demand for chicken and eggs dropped further after a person from Kavre recently succumbed to bird flu — the first reported death due to avian influenza in Nepal.

Meanwhile, Guna Chandra Bista, former president of Nepal Poultry Federation, said poultry farmers had been forced to sell a chick for Rs 20, against Rs 70 per chick just a few months back. He alleged that government officials had created panic to distort the local poultry market.

Meanwhile, Samjhana Kafle, deputy director general of Department of Livestock Service, said the government was doing its bit to control bird flu with available resources. “Poultry farmers should be more concerned about the health of their consumers than simply blaming the government for bringing down the demand for their produce,” she said, adding that it is the government’s duty to warn its citizens of possible health hazards during any outbreak.