Flu remedy: Kerala government hikes compensation for poultry farmers

KOCHI: Amid increasing number of bird flu cases being reported in the state, the Kerala government announced a hike in the compensation being provided to poultry farmers who incurred losses due to the disease, which emerged from Ernakulam and Kollam districts.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government has increased the compensation amount to Rs 100 for two-month-old ducklings and Rs 200 to ones older than two months. The government already made an allocation of Rs 2 crore to combat the disease and prevent it from spreading.

Meanwhile, culling of birds began in Purakkad in Alleppey and Kottayam districts. Killing of birds is expected to start in Pathanamathitta district on November 26. Thiruvananthapuram district authorities have banned the import of poultry from other districts. Chandy said reports on shortage of medicines were incorrect.

Sufficient medicine is being imported from Rajasthan, he added. Meanwhile, the disease is spreading in Ernakulam and Kollam. Sasthamkota in Kollam and Kalady in Ernakulam are places where poultry deaths have been reported. Health authorities are yet to confirm whether it is due to bird flu.