Bird flu fear hits poultry industry of Nepal
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-11 11:48

Bird flu, which has not been reported in Nepal, already has affected poultry business of the country, an official said Friday.

"The fear of bird flu has caused the poultry industry to lose about 5 million Nepali rupees (71428.57 US dollars) every day," Gun Chandra Bista, president of Nepal Hatchery Industry Association (NHAS), a non-governmental organization working for poultry farmers of Nepal, told reporters at a press conference.

"Prices have gone down drastically and the consumption of chicken has also decreased," Bista said at the function jointly organized by the Veterinary Services Department (VSD), Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and Poultry Farmers Groups of Nepal.

Poor storage facilities and decrease in consumption have caused the loss, Bista noted, adding, "There is just one cold store with a 60-ton storage capacity in Nepal."

Nepal has imposed a ban on the import of poultry and poultry products and the move will effectively prevent bird flu from making inroads into Nepal, D.R. Ratala, director at VSD, noted.

According to NHAS, about 16 billion Nepali rupees (228.57 million US dollars) have been invested in poultry industry and nearly 150,000 kg of chicken are produced every day in Nepal.