Chicken sales crash 80% in Hyderabad due to bird flu

By RajiReddy Kesireddy

HYDERABAD: Chicken sales fell by about 80% on Sunday in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, after an outbreak of bird flu elsewhere in the state, reported last week, scared customers. Even as consumers in the city held off purchases, sales of chickens and eggs remained largely unaffected in the rural parts of the state. Neighbouring states, except Andhra Pradesh, also continued to buy products, providing support to the Telangana poultry industry.
"Chicken consumption saw a drop of 50% in Hyderabad during the first four days after the outbreak of bird flu and crashed by nearly 80% on Sunday, a significant weekend for the poultry industry, which normally reports majority sales on weekends," said S Balasubramaniam, general manager at Venkateshwara Hatcheries, India's largest poultry company.

Over the past week, government authorities have culled over 1.6 lakh birds and destroyed over 2 lakh eggs from poultry farms in and around Thorrur village, where the bird flu outbreak was reported last Tuesday.

Telangana accounts for a fifth of the Rs 90,000 crore Indian poultry industry, producing 500 million kilograms of chicken and 14,600 million eggs a year. The industry has estimated a Rs 150 crore over the past week.loss of at least ` It may take another 30 days for the government to complete clearing operations, including fumigation, before declaring the affected zone free from bird flu, Telangana's animal husbandry director D Venkateswarlu told ET.

Chicken biryani sales in hotels and restaurants in Hyderabad fell almost 50%, although ter both social and print media carried warnings even as animal husbandry officials assured the public there was no threat and advised consumption of poultry products cooked at high temperatures.

"The major solace is that the outbreak of bird flu did not have any adverse effect on sale of chicken and eggs in the rural markets," Balasubramaniam of Venka teshwara Hatcheries told ET, adding that weekends account for nearly two-thirds of the poultry industry's sales. Venkateshwara Hatcheries with its associates including Sneha Farms controls about 80% of Telangana's poultry market.