Guwahati: While the import of broiler chickens from outside Assam has been banned, the price of poultry bred in the state has seen a sudden rise.
The import of poultry from other states was banned due to the avian influenza which poses a risk to both birds and humans. But the ban has been reported to have caused a steep rise in the price of chickens sold here in the state.
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However, the Agriculture Minister of Assam, Atul Bora instead of speaking about a solution claimed that the government cannot control the price of poultry.
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Speaking to the media, Bora said that the price of locally bred poultry tends to be higher and that it was not under the government to fix a rate.
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He claimed that the main reason for the local poultry to be more expensive than the ones imported from out is the feed given to them.
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Bora said that a discussion has been put forward with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and he (Sarma) has considered subsidies on the chicken feed to the local poultry farmers.
However, the agriculture minister did not exactly state how the “scheme” would work.
He also claimed that the state has sufficient production of chicken but it lacks pork or pig production.
It may be mentioned that the price of chicken or poultry in Assam saw around a 10 to 50 per cent hike in the recent days.
Many sellers claimed that they are given the chicken at a much higher rate than the ones supplied to them from outside the state.