Chennai: Kerala’s recent introduction of entry tax for broiler chicken has adversely affected poultry traders in Tamil Nadu.
The situation is that the farmers and major broiler chicken breeders in the western districts have reduced production of chicken owing to Kerala’s entry tax and high input costs.
According to Madras Veterinary College (MVC) sources, tough time continues for the Tamil Nadu farmers dealing with livestock and poultry. While the farmers along the delta districts are choking due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease taking a toll on milch cows in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts, the situation was turning even worse for the poultry farmers of Erode, Coimbatore and Namakkal districts, MVC sources said.
“Besides inflation and fuel price, the new strategy by the Kerala government has come as a disaster for our farmers,” rued Prof Dr R. Prabhakaran, former vice-chancellor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
The neighbouring state collects around '15 per bird and this has created a huge dent in the earnings of the poultry traders.
Owing to losses, several small-time traders are now winding up chicken production and the state production of poultry has dipped by around 20 per cent as the demand for chicken from Kerala has come down, he explained.
The Kerala government, to boost their economy, has taken this step and any reduction in the entry tax will benefit the consumers in Kerala and farmers in TN, he opined.
The state animal husbandry department fanned out a special veterinary team to control the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Vellore district on Tuesday.
