Nepal poultry producers compensated for avian influenza losses

Nepal's government has started to compensate poultry farmers for the chickens and poultry feed destroyed after declaring an avian influenza emergency zone in August in the Bhaktapur district. As many as 360 poultry producers had been compensated a total of NPR60 million as of November 8.
The government has allocated NPR132.9 million to compensate farmers, according to reports. The compensation provided is consistent with the market price.
In order to be eligible for compensation, hatchery owners must submit a registration certificate, evidence of bringing parent chicken from foreign countries, and evidence of tax payments. Owners of poultry farms must submit a farm registration certificate and evidence of tax payments.

Nepal declares bird flu emergency, destroys all birds in Bhaktapur

Nepal has declared an avian influenza emergency in Bhaktapur, one of the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley. The declaration was made at a meeting between government officials and poultry farmers on August 15, as Bhaktapur has witnessed more than 40 cases of avian influenza since July 16.
As many as 10 rapid response teams were deployed to the Bhaktapur district to destroy poultry and poultry products. About 500,000 birds, including chicken, ducks and pigeons, are to be culled along with their eggs and feed, while poultry farms will be cleaned and disinfected, according to reports.
The emergency zone will remain active for a minimum three months. During this period, birds cannot be transported to or from Bhaktapur. Poultry sales will also be banned.
The Nepal government will compensate poultry producers for their loss of business, with first priority being given to the smaller operations, government spokesman Narayan Ghimire said. The amount of compensation has not yet been determined. 

H5N1 avian influenza confirmed at two Nepal poultry farms

H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed at two poultry farms in the Bhaktapur district of Nepal. Chickens from one Lakhula poultry farm and another farm in Nangkhel have tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
Plans have been made to cull about 5,000 chickens from the Lakhula poultry farm and another 8,000 chickens from the Nangkhel poultry farm.
The tests were conducted by the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Kathmandu, according to eKantipur.com. In addition, chickens from three other farms will be tested for avian influenza. 

Nepal faces outbreak of H5N1 virus

Nepal is facing an outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in Kathmandu, according to reports, with two separate farms affected so far.
The first farm saw 2,500 chickens dead and 19,000 destroyed. The latest farm, confirmed to be contaminated on December 27, has had 2,240 chickens culled, 700 kilograms of chicken feed destroyed and 105 eggs destroyed, according to the Directorate of Animal Health. "Rapid response teams were mobilized immediately after confirmation of the virus," said Narayan Prasad Ghimire, senior veterinarian at the directorate.
The first phase of disinfection has been completed, said Ghimire, and sample collection is ongoing. The two farms are the latest in an extended outbreak; 3,000 chickens were culled in mid-December at a farm in Dharke, Dhading, and the virus was also detected at a poultry farm at Bode, Bhaktapur in October.

Nepal poultry farmers gain bird flu relief fund

Nepal investment company Nimbus Holdings has formed a bird flu relief fund that it hopes will assist the country's farmers in mitigating the risk of avian influenza by compensating them for losses due to the disease, as well as reducing the public health risk. The company also aims to help government policy triple per-capita consumption and availability of chicken and eggs in the next 15 years by encouraging commercialization of the domestic poultry sector through the Rs 7.5 million (US$86,193) fund.
The fund will compensate poultry farmers within seven days of a government bird flu declaration, as long as they are registered with Nimbus and use Shakti animal feed. The campaign, named Shakti Sahayogi Haatharu, will help protect farmers and encourage them to report avian influenza as soon as possible, which will help reduce the risk to public health, said Nimbus Managing Director Anand Bagaria. Nimbus plans to collaborate with insurance companies and other domestic and international agencies to safeguard the poultry business in the future, said Bagaria, which will help stop farmers abandoning the business.

The current average per-capita consumption of poultry meat and eggs in Nepal is roughly nine kilograms of chicken and 120 eggs. The poultry policy has envisaged strategies including prioritizing the poultry sector for government supported programs so as to encourage massive commercialization of the poultry sector, which already has an investment of over Rs 30 billion (US$344.8 million).

Nepal chicken prices drop on continued rise in supplies

The price of chicken in Nepal has dropped by Rs 15 (US$0.17) to Rs 185 (US$2.12) per kilogram, which means poultry farmers are getting Rs 135 (US$1.55) per kilogram for live chicken, Rs 10 (US$0.11) per kilogram less than the previous price.
Farmers have said that they have been suffering losses as the revised price of live chicken is now lower than production costs, which currently stand around Rs 150–160 (US$1.72–1.83) per kilogram. "Currently, farmers, hatcheries and feed producers are suffering losses with the fall in chicken prices," said Narayan Hari Khatri, proprietor of Ahsapuri Hatchery. "Amid higher production volume, we have options other than to reduce the price."
Traders in Nepal's capital who used to source chicken from neighboring districts like Dhading, Nuwakot and Kavre are now buying chicken from Tarai districts, mainly from Chitwan, Nawalparasi and Makawanpur. The Tarai districts have been supplying live chicken for Rs 110 (US$1.26) per kilogram.

Nepal chicken prices drop on improved supplies

Chicken prices in Kathmandu, Nepal, have dropped by Rs 15 (US$0.18) per kilogram, to Rs 260 (US$3.10) per kilogram, on improved supplies, according to the industry.
The price of live chicken has dropped by Rs 10 (US$0.12) per kilogram to Rs 195 (US$2.33) per kilogram, and eggs have fallen Rs 2 (US$0.02) per unit to trade at Rs 7 (US$0.08) per unit. Currently, the average daily supply of chicken in the capital is about 20 percent higher than the average daily demand of 250,000 kilograms, according to the National Chicken Sellers Association.
“Chicken consumption across the country will go down over the next 16 days," said Janga Bahadur BC, president of the association. Hindus do not consume meat from October 1 through October 16 as they mourn their ancestors during that period. "As a result, farmers across the country are supplying chicken to the capital — the biggest market in the country,” said BC. The association is also not likely to increase chicken prices during that time.

Nepal poultry farmers get help from International Finance Corporation

Nepal's small poultry farmers are receiving assistance from the International Finance Corporation to make their businesses more productive through better farm management practices that will increase productivity, reduce costs and improve poultry quality, according to reports.
In cooperation with Avinash Hatchery and Probiotech Industries, the International Finance Corporation hopes to strengthen the technical skills of 3,000 poultry farmers and directly impact 40 percent of the country's industry. “Supporting the development of sustainable agribusiness is a priority for the IFC in South Asia,” said regional sustainable business advisory manager Jeeva A Perumalpillai-Essex. “The project will create opportunities and increase incomes in an industry characterized by small farmers operating at the base of the pyramid.”
A two-day training session has already been held on poultry farming which covered disease management, biosecurity, vaccination, brooding and shed management. The project has completed 88 sessions so far and trained 2,000 poultry farmers.