NECC appeals to J

Mumbai, Apr 20 (UNI) National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) Chairperson Anuradha Desai has appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to lift the ban on entry of cull birds into the State, in the interest of the farmers and the consumers.

As the entry has been stopped, the poultry farmers in Punjab and Haryana are forced to feed the layer birds, which have outlived their productivity and are also not able to replace the flocks with the new ones, Ms Desai said in a release issued here today.

This, while affecting the farmers' economy has resulted in an acute shortage of chicken in J&K and its price has sky-rocketed to Rs 300 per kg, which is neither helping the farmers, nor is in the interest of the consumers, she lamented.

In these conditions, the farmers are not able to feed the layer birds properly and soon these cull birds may starve to death, she regretted.

She said there has not been any report of birdflu in Punjab and Haryana and, therefore, there is no reason to ban the entry of cull birds.

Ms Desai also said even as the other States have lifted the ban on entry of live birds on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, J&K is the only State which continues it and movement of cull birds from Punjab and Haryana there has stopped completely.

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