Kathmandu, Dec 3 (IANS) Chicken prices took a beating in Kathmandu after schools and security agencies stayed away from chicken products following a new bird flu alert here.
These institutions are major consumers of chicken in Kathmandu. The prices fell by 30 percent, Xinhua reported Saturday.
Private boarding schools in Kathmandu Valley have suspended serving chicken items. The Nepali Army has reportedly issued a circular directing its troops not to buy chicken. The army usually includes mutton and chicken items in its menu.
‘Consumers fear to eat chicken meat despite the fact that bird flu viruses are killed if cooked properly,’ said Junga Bahadur, chairman of Chicken Retailers Association.
‘This fear has brought down the demand for chicken in the cold stores by around 60 percent,’ he said.
The latest strain of bird flu virus was detected in a slum in Bhaktapur in Kathmandu Valley Monday. To prevent it from spreading, all poultry birds in the area were killed.
