The prevailing bird flu crisis had brought the province's poultry business to a standstill as all poultry markets present a deserted look, causing billions of rupees losses to the stakeholders of the business.
"Our business has plunged to zero level and every small poultry farmer has suffered losses of one to two lakh rupees during last 2-3 months," Shafiq Zaman, an employee of 'SB Chicks' on Shami Road here said when contacted. He urged the government to launch a mass awareness campaign against the misconception created in the general public
The government, he said, should tell the people that the disease does not transfer from birds to human beings, and no such case has been detected in the country.
He also criticised the government for failure in properly handling the matter. He said that culling the birds is not a solution against influenza, as it also spreads through birds' migration in the world.
He said that besides the unprecedented fall in the prices of chickens the prices of the feeds had also gone down by 10 to 20 percent. Gul Mohammad, another small poultry farmers, said that he had suffered a loss of Rs 0.1 million, that saying he had invested more than Rs 0.2 million, but the sudden fall in the prices due to the rumours of avian influenza caused him the loss. "The small poultry farmers have lost at least Rs 30 per chick," he said, crying.
Irshad Khan, owner of 'Islamabad Chicks' said that during the last six months the prices of chicken had gone down from Rs 90 to Rs 30 to 35 per kg, causing millions of rupees losses to the people attached with the sector. "We are losing millions of rupees daily, but none of the responsible government officials has even dared to talk to us," he added.
He dispelled the impression regarding mutation of the virus to humans, saying they are daily taking ill and unhealthy chicks to their houses and no one has been affected so far. He called upon the government to intervene in the matter to bring the sector out of the prevailing crisis. He said that in case of failure of the government the poultry farmers would quit the business, saying that they were no more in a position to bear huge monetary losses, on daily basis.
He urged both the federal and the provincial governments to issue Rs 0.1 million in shape of soft loan and Rs 50,000 as grant to poultry farmers to enable them run their ruined business in the province.
"More than 50 percent labourers employed in the sector have already been rendered jobless and further cut was in the offing as the crisis was going further worse," he added.
About the statistics regarding poultry farms in the province, he said that above 1000 farms were running only in Peshawar while Charsadda has 800 to 900 and Bajaur Agency more than 200 farms. He called upon the government to inform people about facts of the disease, and suggested to observe a formal 'Chicken Day' throughout the country.
On that day, he said, the President, the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers should arrange parties in their respective areas and demonstrate eating chicks in public.
It is worth mentioning that bird flu crisis has resulted in increase of demand for beef, mutton and fish during last 2-3 months and their prices have gone up. "I have not eaten chicken for the last three months," said a local businessman who earlier used to eat it many times in a week. Moreover, the demand for Karahi Chicken in restaurants had also declined and people prefer to go for beef and mutton.
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