Majority of locals remain apprehensive about the consumption of poultry products in Uttarakhand due to the bird flu outbreak in some states despite the fact that they are safe to consume if prepared and cooked properly as per the experts. They argue that they are aware that properly cooked poultry products are considered safe to consume but they are avoiding products as a precautionary measure. “We might cook the chicken or egg properly but what if we become contagious from the butcher selling us the chicken. It is better to be on the safe side and avoiding poultry products for a few weeks is not a big deal,” said a Dehradun school teacher, Sheetal Garg. Meanwhile, the local shopkeepers opined that such apprehensions are causing them loss due to which they are being compelled to sell chicken and eggs at lower rates. According to Adesh, a chicken shop owner in Dehradun, he was selling chicken at the rate of Rs 180 per kilogramme till the first three days of this month but now he is selling it from Rs 120 to Rs 150 per kilogramme. “I sold more than 35 kilogrammes of chicken during New Year celebrations but within the next three days, the number of people buying chicken dropped drastically,” said Adesh.
Bhoora Saini, a shopkeeper from Dharampur stated that many have restricted buying poultry products but the prices of eggs are not affected much. “The regular consumption of poultry products has certainly decreased but many educated people are aware and still buying them,” said Saini. Though some people asked us for discounts to take advantage of panic caused due to the outbreak, the condition is still not bad here. Many bakeries buy eggs in bulk to prepare baked goods so if we do not find enough local customers, we sell eggs to bakeries,” said Saini.
Monday, 11 January 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
