Damak, February 2:

Poultry farmers in Jhapa are yet to receive compensation for the chickens that were culled in a bid to control spread of bird flu.

Poultry entrepreneurs have refused to accept the ‘paltry’ compensation offered by the government, saying that the amount was not justifiable.

“We cooperated with the government in its bid to check the spread of avian influenza,” Parshuram Sitaula, district chairman of Poultry Entrepreneurs’ Association, said, adding, “Our cooperation and support has now been taken for granted.”

According to a notice published in the Gazette two years ago, Rs 100 compensation was set for a chicken or a duck, 50 paisa for an egg and Rs 5 for a kg of chicken feed. It has however no mention of compensation for pigeons. Poultry entrepreneurs have urged the government to review compensation amount and they have forwarded their own recommendation.

“The government should provide Rs 300 per chicken, Rs 200 per duck, Rs 20 per kg of poultry feed, Rs 4 per egg and Rs 100 per pair of pigeons,” Ganesh Pradhan, chairman of East Mechi Chicken Farmers’ Group, said. “We sent a memorandum to the government the same day the chicken were culled, but the government has not paid any heed to our demand,” he said.

The people who are raising chicken at home for non-commercial purpose, however, have agreed to accept the compensation. Thirteen poultry firms have not accepted the compensation for 9,000 chicken, a lot of eggs and chicken feed destroyed during the emergency. Experts deployed for the control of the bird flu had culled in 25,000 birds in the district.

“The memorandum submitted by the entrepreneurs has already been forwarded to the government,” Laxman Prasad Hamal, acting CDO, said.