Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Feb 25: The bird flu that has spread all over Bihar and Maharashtra has given rise to fear of the poultry industry in Karnataka taking a hit. However, an expert committee of Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) has assured that chances of bird flu spreading to Karnataka are very remote because of the bio security measures followed in the poultry units here.
In the report, experts after conducting study of poultry farming in the state have concluded that safety of poultry birds is given prominence in the farms of Karnataka, and there is the system of bio security in which a person entering the farm has to sanitise himself and the vehicles if any. The report also says that the level of attention and safety measures being implemented in poultry farms here is not seen elsewhere.
Representational image
The sunshine is getting intense of late. This has an adverse effect on poultry production. This time, compared to previous years, two degrees additional temperature is observed. As such, people who raise fowls on a large scale are not undertaking the activity at such a big scale. This results in fall in the production and hike in the prices.
KPFBA president, Dr Sushant Rai, says that in spite of the poultry units elsewhere getting affected by the bird flu, the safety measures followed in Karnataka are different as every section of poultry farming maintains high safety standards. Therefore, the poultry units of Karnataka are a model for other poultry units, he explained.
The normal rate of death of broilers is five percent in normal course. But during the summer the rate goes up to ten to 15 percent. If the birds suffer from the disease of the lungs or some other complications, the poultry farms have to be closed down for three months. The experts suggest to the farmers to raise 800 fowls in place of 1,000. The weight of the birds in other times is about 2 to 2.5 kg but in summer the weight gets reduced to 1.8 to 2 kg. When the rate for chicken goes up, fowls also witness price rise, says Dr Vasant Kuamar Shetty, regional research officer of the Animal Diseases Diagnostic Centre.
Currently broilers are sold at Rs 160 a kg in Mangaluru, Rs 210 in Bengaluru and Rs 190 in Mysuru.