The wholesale prices of poultry has dropped by around ₹40 per kilo in two days amid fears of an outbreak of bird flu in Delhi-NCR, according to traders in the city’s wholesale poultry markets.
However, the drop in poultry prices is yet to reflect in retail markets, even as traders across the city said the number of customers have dipped slightly on Friday in retail as well as wholesale markets.
Cases of bird flu so far have been confirmed in at least six states — Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Kerala.
The Delhi government had on Thursday launched a sample collection drive to check for bird flu.
“Even though there has been no cases of bird flu in Delhi, residents are exercising caution in buying poultry. So, the wholesale rates of poultry has dropped in the market. Till Wednesday, the wholesale prices were about ₹100 per bird per kilo which has now dropped to ₹80 to ₹60 per bird per kilo depending upon quality,” said Tehseen Quraishi, a wholesale trader in Ghazipur Fish and Poultry market.
Adil Ahmed, another trader at the wholesale market, said that they are taking all precautions and teams of Delhi government are also collecting samples from the market.
“Fewer customers came to buy poultry today as compared to the last two days. Samples are being collected by the government to check and control spread of the flu,” he said.
However, traders in the city’s retail markets said that the prices of poultry is the same, but customers are asking question before buying the bird.
“The customers are probing if the poultry they are buying is healthy and fresh and if it might have been infected by the flu. Though the prices have not yet dropped, but the number of customers has dipped slightly as compared to the last 2-3 days. If cases of bird flu start being reported from the city, then the business will take a hit,” said Salim Quraishi, who has a poultry shop in Sukhdev Vihar area.
Consumers said that there was no drop in retail prices of poultry but they were exercising caution.
Madhuri Nath, a resident of South Delhi’s Moti Bagh said that the retail prices of chicken had not reduced till at least Friday morning.
“We ordered a kilo of boneless chicken on Friday for ₹240. The place where we usually get our supply from had assured us of safety but now that the cases might be coming up in Delhi, we might stop buying poultry altogether,” said Nath.
Another consumer, Nipun Tiwari, a resident of Meera Bagh, said that since the news of avian flu scare came out, they have not ordered poultry or chicken products.
“We have completely stopped ordering poultry or eggs for the last 2-3 days. It might not be dangerous to humans but we do not want to take any chance,” he said.
