New Delhi: Six months and Rs 20 crore is what the poultry industry of the bird flu-hit Navapur in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district pegs their cost due to the outbreak of the deadly disease.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said that the culling operations in Navapur in Maharashtra will end on Tuesday evening and has also assured that there was no need to hit the panic button.
Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Department Commissioner Vijay Kumar said one lakh birds were culled on Monday and nearly 80,000 birds are expected to be culled on Tuesday.
Over 1,000 chickens were reported to have died in a poultry farm in Kalmnury, about 20 km from Hingoli, in central Maharashtra, official sources said.
The cause of the poultry deaths, that took place on Monday, was not immediately known and officials have rushed to the farm to assess the situation and collect samples, the sources said.
While officials at the district collector's office confirmed deaths of birds, Deputy Collector Uddhav Goge said officials have rushed to the area and details were awaited.
Chicken, egg prices fall
Meanwhile, there has been a sudden dip in the prices of chicken prices across the country.
While in New Delhi, it is selling at Rs 30 a kilo - a drop by more than half, in Mumbai people are switching to sea food.
In West Bengal's Hoogly, panic set in after at least 70 chicken were found dead. But tests have ruled out bird flu.
The Government has also banned retail sales of anti-flu drug Tamiflu to prevent self-medication.
In West Bengal, 70 chickens died on Monday. The Mizoram government has stopped supply of chicken and birds to neighbouring states.
Reports are in from Karnataka that 12,000 birds have died in Shimoga. The samples have gone for testing as its not confirmed if they died of bird flu.
The state government has requested the Centre for 42 lakh doses of vaccine.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, too, are on an alert.
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