ASSAM is losing Rs. one crore a day following the bird flu scare that has swept the entire North-East. All Assam Poultry Farmers’ Association president Manoj Ram Phukan said the recent deaths reported from some parts of Dhubri district were due to common cold and had nothing to do with bird flu.

“The Avian Influenza (bird flu) does not exist in India at all. This    is a rumour originating from Dhubri and it has created havoc in the  entire state,’’ Mr Phukan said. “Most of the enterprenuers in Assam tend to neglect the heating procedure because of which these deaths occur. The thousand odd chicks in Dhubri died due to  chronic respiratory disease. February and March have always been difficult months for poultry farmers,’’ he said. 

Although the poultary farmers have put out a conservative estimate of a loss of Rs one crore a day, the losses from the hotel industry could raise it to nearly Rs two crore. “Assam needs 50 tonnes of birds per day and that is entirely supplied from 5,000 odd firms under the organised sector which are run by small time entrepreneurs. There are 35,000 people working in the sector and another about 15,000 in the unorganised sector. These rumours destroyed the small time entrepreneurs,’’ Mr.  Phukan said. In Assam, poultry farming has become a fast growing business and is mushrooming everywhere as there is a high demand for the products.

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