Bird Flu: Chicken, egg prices fall by nearly 50% across India

New Delhi, Jan 12: The fears of the deadly bird flu has led to the nosediving of egg and chicken prices in many parts of the country.

The demand for chicken and chicken products has decreased by more than 70 per cent and the prices have dropped by 50 per cent.

Both Delhi and Himachal Pradesh have banned the import of hens from other states. North India has been the most hit due to restrictions in the movement of poultry products.

The price of broiler chicken came down to Rs 85-105 from Rs 130-14 in Delhi. In Maharashtra the prices have drop to Rs 58 from Rs 82, while in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, the prices are at Rs 65 and 70 respectively.

Similarly the prices of eggs have dropped by nearly 20 per cent. A dozen eggs which cost an average of Rs 60 has fallen to Rs 50.

Bird flu is a viral disease caused by the H5N1 virus. Since humans can contract the virus by eating meat or eggs of sick birds, the sale of poultry products have been banned in several places in India.

In 2005, the World Health Organisation had said that chicken and other poultry products are safe to eat if cooked properly. But if the birds from the flocks with the virus have entered the food chain, people are at risk of contracting the bird flu after eating chicken and eggs, if not cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F (74 C). To avoid contracting the by eating eggs, cook them until the yolks and whites are firm.

While there are no problems in eating poultry and poultry products if the above norms are followed, it would be still safe to avoid the same until the virus is gone.