Poultry ban likely to be lifted in State

A high-level expert committee meeting involving the representatives of the State Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department and a host of other related departments today formally recommended the lifting of poultry import ban in Assam, with the final notification likely to be issued in two days. Moreover, the committee has also vouched for the formulation of a special developmental scheme, which would aim at compensating the loss incurred by the farmers of the poultry industry in the State after the government ordered culling of birds as a precautionary measure.

"The aim is not only to compensate the farmers but also to help them rejuvenate in a quicker time through this scheme," well-placed sources told The Assam Tribune here today.

It deserves mention here that an amount of Rs 24 lakh to be released in two installments, has already been sanctioned by the State Government to compensate the farmers who lost their poultry.

"The Deputy Commissioners of bordering districts like Kokrajhar and Dhubri have also been intimated about the same as the farmers of both these districts were among the worst hit," the sources divulged, adding "the decision to recommend a special developmental package was taken keeping in view the dependency of a large number of families on the poultry industry."

The high-level expert committee has also asked a host of departments concerned to prepare their own draft informing about the loss incurred in the State during the phase.

The sources further divulged that the meeting held in Dispur today recommended the lifting of the ban at the earliest as no fresh cases of bird flu have been reported in the country.

"The fact that West Bengal, which had reported the outbreak of the avian flu, has already lifted its ban on poultry products, makes our case even stronger. As the ban in Assam was imposed in view of the disease in the neighbouring State, Assam should also follow suit in lifting it," the sources added.