POULTRY INDUSTRY IN POKHARA, CHITWAN HIT HARD

BIRD flu outbreaks in the Kathmandu valley and surrounding districts have affected the poultry business in Pokhara and Chitwan. Traders in the two tourist cities said that chicken sales had plunged after reports of the occurrences spread. According to poultry dealers, sales are down 50 percent in Pokhara. Similarly, prices of chicken and eggs have tumbled in Chitwan which is known as the country’s poultry hub. Consumption has fallen due to health concerns following the outbreaks in Kathmandu, said the Kaski District Poultry Farmers’ Association. “Around 250,000 chickens used to be consumed weekly here,” said Kumar Acharya, president of the association. “Consumption has plummeted by 50 percent in the past three weeks.” He added that decreased demand had prompted them to cut production, thus putting their investment at risk. Acharya said that there were around 700 small and big poultry farmers in Pokhara with a combined capital of Rs 10 billion. Pokhara’s daily requirement of chicken is estimated to be 50,000 kg. Local production fulfils 60 percent of the demand. Suppliers sell chicken at more than Rs 200 per kg while they pay farmers Rs 190 per kg. “Though the chicken sold in Pokhara is safe, outbreaks of avian influenza in various parts of the country have badly hit business,” said Jeevan Baral, president of the Chicken Suppliers Committee. “After the reports, we have stopped importing chicken from other districts.” Around 35 suppliers in Pokhara import chicken from Kathmandu, Chitwan and Hetauda, among other places. The volatile market situation has added to the wœs of farmers and poultry traders. “The poultry business has turned into something no less than a gamble,” said Trilochan Poudel, a poultry farmer. The sharp decline in consumption has prompted farmers in several locations to stop chicken production. Prakash Raj Shrestha, head of the District Livestock Service Office, said that bird flu has not been reported in Pokhara, and people can consume chicken without any hesitation. “We have banned imports of chicken and chicks from Kathmandu totally,” he added. Meanwhile, poultry entrepreneurs in Chitwan said that purchase orders for chickens from hotels and restaurants had gone down significantly in recent days. “Shipments to Kathmandu have stopped due to the ban,” said Shankar Prasad Kadel, president of the Poultry Market Management Association. According to him, around 150 quintals of chicken used to be supplied to Kathmandu from Chitwan daily. Chitwan produces 400 quintals of chicken daily. Likewise, egg shipments to Kathmandu have dropped significantly. Around 300,000 eggs used to be sent to Kathmandu from Chitwan daily. Traders said that the drop in egg exports had led to losses of Rs 5.6 million daily. Meanwhile, poultry prices have gone down in Chitwan due to the outbreaks of bird flu in the capital. Shivaram KC, president of the Nepal Egg Producers Association, said egg prices had dropped to Rs 222 per crate from Rs 235 a few weeks ago. Likewise, chicken has declined to Rs 235 per kg from Rs 285. Chandra Man Shrestha, president of the Chicken Producers’ Forum, said that business had been hard hit by the outbreak. Investments in the poultry sector in Chitwan are estimated to be Rs 30-32 billion. HIT HARD