Rumours Linking Chicken To COVID-19 Affect Poultry Business In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Rumours suggesting chicken to be a carrier of coronavirus have led to a drastic fall in the sale of poultry in Odisha.

According to the All Odisha Poultry Forum (AOPF), the sale of chicken and eggs has dropped by 30 to 40 per cent when compared to 70 lakh kg chicken that used to be sold every week earlier. The poultry business and farmers have incurred losses because of the drop in sales.

Speaking about the current situation on Thursday, AOPF president Haramohan Das said, “The poultry farmers and the business are suffering huge loss due to the rumour. Social media seems to be the driving force behind the spread of the fake message. The price of each bird has also dropped significantly.”

Requesting people not to believe in rumours, he added that chicken and eggs are not carrying the virus, and are absolutely safe for consumption.

Even the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry had declared that chicken is safe as no report has stated it to be the cause of COVID-19.

Earlier, the poultry business had suffered a loss following the detection of bird flu at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology poultry farm in Bhubaneswar.