Four pc interest waiver on poultry loans

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The government has decided to waive four per cent interest on loans taken for poultry business to compensate for loss to the industry due to the bird flu outbreak.

This is in addition to the directives to the banks to put a moratorium on realisation of loans for three years and compensation of Rs 25 per bird culled during the preventive operation.

Announcing this in the Rajya Sabha today, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said the package, except the bird culling compensation, was meant for the whole country.

''Since people all over the country had stopped eating poultry products out of fear, the loss to industry was not confined only to the three bird flu-hit states-Maharshtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

These relief measures were taken after consultation with representatives of the poutry industry.

The relief had become imperative as the price of chicken had crashed to as low as Rs five to six per kg, he said.

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