Bhubaneswar, Mar 6 (IANS): All Odisha Poultry Forum (AOPF) on Thursday claimed that sales of chicken and eggs have decreased over the last few weeks, due to rumours linking them to the coronavirus infection.

AOPF president Haramohan Das said the rumour has led to around 30-40 per cent drop in consumption of chicken in the state.

Around 70 lakh kg chicken was being sold every week in the state while the sale has affected by 30-40 per cent, he informed IANS.

He appealed the people not to believe in the rumour spread by some people on social media and other platforms saying that people can eat chicken and eggs as the products are not cause of the lethal virus.

"The poultry farmers and the business are suffering huge loss due to the rumour. Social media seems to be the driving force behind the spread of the fake message. The price of each bird has also dropped significantly," he added.

Das said not a single organisation including World Health Organisation (WHO) has claimed that people will get infected with coronavirus if they eat chicken and eggs.

Earlier, the poultry business had got affected with the detection of bird flu at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology poultry farm in Bhubaneswar.

Last month, Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry has clarified that chicken may be considered safe as no report has so far confirmed its involvement in coronavirus outbreak.