Poultry Meat and Egg Consumption Rebounds as Bird Flu Situation Improves in Nepal

Kathmandu: The consumption of poultry meat and eggs in Nepal has begun to recover after declining sharply due to outbreaks of bird flu in 11 districts across the country.
According to Rajendra Lamichhane, President of the Nepal Hatchery Industry Association, consumer demand for poultry products is gradually returning to normal. He said daily chicken meat consumption, which had dropped from around 800,000 kilograms to 600,000 kilograms during the outbreak, is now on the rise.
The price of live broiler chickens, which had fallen from Rs. 250 per kilogram to Rs. 140 per kilogram, has also started to recover and is currently around Rs. 190 per kilogram, Lamichhane added.
Similarly, Binod Pokharel, President of the Nepal Layers Poultry Farmers’ Association, said daily egg production had declined from approximately 4.5 million eggs to 2.8 million eggs due to the impact of bird flu. However, as consumer demand has increased, egg prices have also begun to rise.
Pokharel urged the government to provide necessary support and relief to poultry farmers and entrepreneurs affected by the outbreaks.
According to the Department of Livestock Services, bird flu has been fully contained in affected areas of Morang, Chitwan, Jhapa, Sunsari, Mahottari, Bara, and Nawalparasi this year. The situation is also nearing full control in the Kathmandu Valley and Kavrepalanchok.
Dr. Bijay Kumar Shrestha, Chief of the National Avian Disease Investigation Laboratory in Bharatpur, Chitwan, reassured consumers that properly cooked poultry meat and thoroughly boiled eggs are safe to eat and pose no health risk. He encouraged the public to consume poultry products with confidence.