Egg supply to Surat halted after bird flu outbreak

Surat: Egg supply from Navapur to Surat and other parts of South Gujarat has been halted after a bird flu outbreak that necessitated large-scale culling of poultry in the area.Around 10 lakh eggs were supplied daily from Navapur in Nandurbar district. The supply was stopped after laboratory tests confirmed H1N1 infection in poultry samples, prompting authorities to order culling in the affected zone.Officials said around 2.40 lakh chickens have been culled in a one-kilometre radius of the affected farm, while surveillance has been intensified in a two-kilometre radius. As a precaution, samples from poultry farms in Tapi district have also been sent to Bhopal for testing."Navapur poultry farms supply only eggs. Around 10 lakh eggs were being sent to Surat every day, but the supply has now stopped," said Arif Balesariya, president of the Nandurbar Poultry Farms Association.Navapur accounts for 27 of 38 poultry farms in Nandurbar district. This is the third time in two decades that bird flu has affected the area, with earlier outbreaks in 2006 and 2021.Traders said there is no immediate shortage in Surat, as eggs are being sourced from other centres such as Kheda, Ajmer and Hyderabad. Vendors also said prices remain stable. Bhupendra Patel, an egg vendor, said there has been no disruption in supply and prices remain stable. "We are getting sufficient stock at regular rates, and there is no impact on prices," he said.Officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) said they are closely monitoring the situation and will take necessary steps according to state govt directives.
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