Home
News
Exports to increase, industry still on AI alert
Demand for Indian poultry exports is expected to
increase next month, now that the country's trading partners have been told it
is free of bird flu, according to a senior government
official.
When
avian
influenza was found in India earlier in the year, a number of countries
stopped buying its poultry products. India declared itself free of bird flu in
August after nearly four months with no reported cases in poultry.
"We will get to see the impact of bird flu on exports this year, but
countries will start importing again by December as we have written to them that
India is bird flu free now," said Charusheela Sohoni, secretary of the
Department of Animal
Husbandry (DAH).
Poultry exports were 3.26 billion rupees (56 million euro/ US$71.6
million)in the financial year ended March 2006, up from 1.54 billion rupees in
2004/05.
But India is still on high alert in all states as winter approaches and the
migratory season begins.
'We have given clear instruction to all our states to be on vigil. The
alert will be in place till February next year,' said Upma Chawdhry, joint
secretary of the DAH.
As the virus has resurfaced in a number of countries, including Thailand,
the government is on its toes to deal with the menace.
The first confirmed avian flu case in India, now free from the disease, was
reported in Navapur in Maharashtra on 18 February.
Chawdhry urged commercial poultry farm owners to maintain hygiene to
effectively deal with the problem.
India's poultry industry produces 1,800 million kg of meat every year and
42 billion eggs. It provides employment to nearly three million people.
Editor WorldPoultry
To comment, login here
Or register to be able to comment.