Poultry prices slump, farmers’ leader blasts rumour-mongers on social media

Revealing this to DT Next, Raja said “I myself received messages on WhatsApp that I should not purchase chicken from shops in Ranipet and Wallajahpet as the coronavirus had spread to the chicken being sold in such shops.”

In his WhatsApp rejoinder, Raja bluntly told rumour--mongers to desist from such work as it was affecting those in the chicken trade for no fault of theirs. “When the State government and international media have made no mention of such an issue, this is being wantonly done by vested interests in a bid to settle old scores with poultry farm owners” he added.

The seriousness of the issue can be considered from the fact that Wallajahpet taluk boasts of nearly 400 poultry farms. The damage was easy to see as owners of two big poultry farms in the Wallajahpet area lamented that chicken wholesale rates, which were around Rs 80 to Rs 85 per kilo a couple of days ago, has now slumped to Rs 25. This has resulted in retail chicken prices ranging between Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kilo as against an earlier high of Rs 120 to Rs 160 per kilo.

“As poultry farms in the area have around 5,000 to 20,000 birds each, we are keeping our fingers crossed hoping that no further damage will accrue,” said a poultry farm owner, requesting anonymity.

Raja said the cybercrime unit of the police should check and initiate stringent action against such rumourmongers as in addition to scaring the public unnecessarily, they are also jeopardising the livelihoods of those involved in related trades.”