Beating back bird flu

NOW that the avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus has been contained in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front government in the State is working on the rehabilitation of the seven lakh families who lost their poultry owing to the disease and the culling operations.

West Bengal suffered arguably the countrys worst bird flu attack, in which 16 of its 19 districts including Kolkata were affected and more than 40 lakh of the total poultry population of about six crore perished around 1.5 lakh from the virus and about 39 lakh from culling operations. The virus, which predominantly affected backyard poultry, was brought under control through extensive culling from January 15 to February 14. According to a primary estimate, the total loss is around Rs.150 crore.

During the culling operations, people were given immediate compensation for every bird they gave up at rates fixed by the Government of India Rs.40 for a hen kept for producing eggs and Rs.10 for a chick; the rate was the same for ducks and ducklings. For a broiler chicken the rate was Rs.30, and the compensation for poultry feed destroyed was Rs.6 a kg.

In its second phase of rehabilitation, the State government has decided to extend Rs.500 as one-time assistance to each of the seven lakh families that lost their income along with their poultry so that they can see themselves through the three months when they will not be able to raise any birds in the affected areas. After three months, they will be provided loans on easy terms to buy fowls. Those below the poverty line will get the benefit as grants. State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta stated that he had held meetings with the Regional Director of the Reserve Bank of India, the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Chairperson of the State Cooperative Bank and representatives of other nationalised banks in the State to facilitate the flow of loans.

The entire cost of this phase of the rehabilitation programme would come to Rs.35 crore, and we have requested the Centre to share the cost with us; but even if they do not, we will go ahead with the programme, State Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rehman told Frontline. Included in this programme are those who lost their birds in the viral attack and not just the culling operations. This distinction is relevant because, according to Rehman, the Centre is reportedly a little reluctant to allow assistance for those whose birds died of infection.

Those who were wholly dependent on poultry farming and have been rendered destitute will be given special attention so as to ensure their employment under the National Employment Guarantee Programme. For this, the panchayats in the affected areas will be specially activated.

The State government is looking at providing alternative employment, such as goat-rearing, for the affected families at a cost of Rs.75 crore, half of which the Centre has been requested to bear. The State government has requested banks to waive loans of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and those living below the poverty line. After three months, we plan to provide 10 adult birds free of cost to each woman member of SHGs that have been affected, said Rehman. For the few organised farms that were affected, the government has requested the Centre to convert their short-term loans into long-term ones with lower interest rates and also provide 50 per cent subsidy on poultry feed, as the Centre did in the case of Maharashtra when it was afflicted with bird flu.

At a press conference held by Dasgupta, Rehman and State Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra, Mishra said that last year 26 districts in Bangladesh had reported bird flu cases. It is necessary to ascertain the nature of the bird flu viruses in the two countries in order to cooperate with Bangladesh to fight the menace. We have written to the Centre in this regard, Mishra said.

According to Rehman, his department had a long-term goal to bring all backyard poultry units in the districts bordering Bangladesh under organised farms.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay