Bird Flu scare: Poultry farmers urge govt to save them

Mysore, Mar 23 (UNI) The members of the Mysore Poultry Farmers' Association and Egg Coordination Committee staged a demonstration here today urging the government to take immedidate steps to save the industry badly hit by the bird flu threat.

Hundreds of the poultry farmers, carrying birds and eggs, took part in the agitation in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office.

In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Commissioner S Selva Kumar, the Association urged the state government to give wide publicity through print and electronic media that not a single case of bird flu was reported in the state and there was no need for panic.

Committee Zonal Convener M P Satish Babu said that due to the bird flu scare, the poultry industry had incurred a loss of Rs 7,000 crore in the country. The state alone had suffered loss to the tune of Rs 200 crore in the last one month.

He also allaged that the bird flu scare was a conspiracy hatched by multinational companies to market a costly drug 'Tamiflu' in the country.

Mr Babu and Association President Rajashekara Gowda urged the state government to waive the interest on loans taken by the poultry farmers and sanction fresh loans at the rate of six per cent. They also demanded loan recovery holiday till the industry recovered.

They urged the government to announce support price for eggs as the price per egg had fallen from Rs 1.25 to 50 paise, though the cost of the production was Rs 1.15.

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