Siliguri, Feb. 4: The northeastern states and Bhutan have stopped importing poultry feed from bird flu-hit Bengal to go with the ban on chickens and eggs, putting at risk an industry with annual turnover of Rs 200 crore.

“The decision has come as a jolt to our industry,” said Pradip Bagla, the managing director of the Calcutta-based Amrit Feeds. “Units manufacturing poultry feed are badly hit as they are not being able to sell their produce to fixed clients in those areas.”

The state has around 20 companies producing feed in 20-30 manufacturing units, including four or five in north Bengal.

Around 60 per cent of the total produce is exported to the Northeast and Bhutan.

“The ban imposed by northeastern states like Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and others, along with the government of Bhutan, is surprising,” said Sumit Kumar Ghosh, who is associated with the North Bengal Poultry Industries Coordination Committee. “The feed is an agriculture product made of maize, soyameals and rice. It is not a poultry product in any way.”

A veterinary expert in Siliguri concurred with Ghosh. “Unless there is a poultry farm beside the feed manufacturing unit, there is no way that bird flu can spread through feed.”

Ghosh, who is a partner of Samrat Feeds in Siliguri, said there were around 100-150 employees attached to each manufacturing unit. “For the past 15-20 days, production of feed has virtually stopped in most units and we are having to pay our workers without selling anything.”

The feed manufacturers had sent representatives to the veterinary and animal husbandry departments of the states concerned, but are yet to get any positive response.

“We have also approached the Bengal government but officials are busy preventing dissemination of the H5N1 virus in different districts. We have no other option but to wait,” said a manufacturer.

Officials of CLAFMA of India, formerly known as Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association of India — the national body of livestock feed producers — said from Mumbai they were aware of the problem.

“We are looking into the issue and plan to take up the matter with respective authorities,” an official said.