COVID-19 lockdown hits Goa's poultry supply

Panaji, Apr 9 () Goa's poultry supply has been hitby the COVID-19 lockdown, after over 50,000 birds belonging tothe state's poultry owners remained stuck at Belagavi inneighbouring Karnataka.

Several poultry owners in Goa prefer to have theirbreeding farms in Belagavi because of its favourable weather.

"Before the Goa government sealed the state borders onMarch 22, we were in the process of bringing in 50,000 birdsto the state," said Jaikrishna Naik, president of All GoaPoultry Owners Association.

The poultry is still stuck at Belagavi and the stategovernment has not shown any interest in allowingtransportation of the same, he said.

The biggest worry for the poultry farmers is that thebirds need to be fed regularly and it costs them Rs 2 lakh onan average every day for their feedings, Naik said.

"If this situation continues, we will have to disposethem off in Karnataka and the entire trade will suffer a hugeloss," he said.

The association has sent a petition to Chief MinisterPramod Sawant, seeking to lift the ban on transportation ofpoultry, poultry owner Rama Kankonkar said.

The lockdown has impacted the supply of poultry, whichis mostly procured from neighbouring states of Karnataka andMaharashtra, said Ramdas Kambale, senior vice president ofVetphage Pharmaceuticals.

"As poultry is a daily essential, there is a hugedemand for chicken and egg in the state. However, Goa is not apoultry producing state, with most of the supply coming fromKarnataka and Maharashtra," he said.

Availability of feed is another matter of concern,Kamble said.

The supply of soya, which is a major source of proteinfor poultry is also hit, as all factories manufacturing thefeed have shut operations in wake of the lockdown, he said. RPSARU ARU