Ongole: Poultry workers stare at gloom

Ongole (Prakasam district): The continuous fall of chicken prices in the state is plunging nearly two lakh people, who are working in the poultry and allied sectors, into gloom.

The National Action Plan for Egg and Poultry-2022 for Doubling Farmers' Income by 2022 by the department of animal husbandry, dairying, and fisheries, ministry of agriculture and & farmers welfare, Government of India, states that the poultry sector in India is valued at about Rs 80,000 crore. Andhra Pradesh is the largest stakeholder in the market with more than 22 per cent share and 16.2 crore poultry population. In this, more than 13.2 crore birds are grown by the poultry farmers, while 3 crore birds are reared in backyards by 38 lakh families. It is estimated by the industry that a small poultry farm of 5,000 bird-capacity provides a livelihood for an average of five people by means of rearing, feeding, transporting and processing the bird to chicken. That means, there are nearly 1.30 lakh people dependent on 80 per cent of the poultry industry in the state.

It is estimated that the farmers invest around Rs 120 to 150 per bird by the time the chicken is ready for processing. After 40 to 45 days of life, the mortality rate of chicken is high and also the farmer needs to invest around Rs 6 per day.

Due to the raging rumours on social media that coronavirus is being spread through meat, people have been avoiding chicken for the last one month. In many areas of the state, the chicken rate dropped to Rs 30 to 50 per kg while some of the poultry farmers offered the birds for free to relieve from the further financial burden.

Uncertain over the better situations, the farmers are asking the workers to take a break immediately. S Sivareddy, a poultry farmer from Tripuranthakam in the district, said that he pays Rs 15,000 for a couple on the farm for rearing the birds, apart from other workers. He said that he had already informed them that they could go to their village after he shut down of the farm, as he is going into losses.

Nukala Ankaiah, a poultry farmworker in Podili said that he and his wife used to be agriculture laborers, but had been rearing chicken for nearly eight years. He said that his sons are were studying Class X in government schools now, but he wants to join them both in a corporate junior college next year. He is worried about the fees for his sons and the interest and instalments of loans they availed earlier.

Indla Narasimhulu, a poultry worker and chicken processing assistant at Kanigiri, said that he works on a daily wage of Rs 200. He said that they didn't have a business for the last few weeks and the owner is reducing the number of workers every few days. "I don't know any other work or profession other than processing the meat. I am now worried about the next day's meal. I am praying that the coronavirus should not impact anyone in the state, particularly the chicken consumers, to boost their confidence that the meat is not a reason for the spread of the epidemic," he said.