Poultry panic spreads after H5N1 strain discovered in Manipur

New Delhi: As culling operations begin in far off Manipur, it's poultry exporters across the country who are crossing their fingers. Will exports be hit like they were the last time, is their biggest fear. Officials are hoping for the best.

Says Animal Husbandry Commissioner, S K Bandopadhyay, "I am not aware of any trade restrictions imposed on us as yet. But as it comes and if it comes, we'll see what has to be done."

Since the same rule applies to India as well, this means that once the international body -- the OIE -- notifies India as H5N1 positive, exports could take a hit.

* Last year, the damages were to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore, both domestic and foreign.

* The ban stayed in place for over seven months.

* India exports about Rs 400 crore of poultry mainly to Europe and west Asia.

Now, commercial farm owners say its time to go in for zoning the diseased areas.

Says National Egg Co-ordination Committee Chairperson, Anuradha Desai, "Zoning is very imp. You see zones are made in the country and then they are monitored by certain surveillance systems by the governments. Then if there is a problem, that government reports that there has been a problem in a certain place in India. The other areas however, will be free to export. These are areas which have been zoned and in this regard we have been asking the Government to zone areas."

Going in for a disease free status is a better option to zoning because it's quicker and easier to declare the entire country disease free.

As of now, despite the demands of commercial poultry farms, zoning is an option the Government is looking at only for endemic diseases.

The Government might achieve disease free status within four months but the big fear is that bird flu is here to stay in the country.

(With inputs from Shilpa Dhamija in Pune)

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