The country has incurred a Taka 3,858 crore as loss in the poultry sector due to spread of the H5N1 bird flu influenza from 2007 to 2008 while prices of poultry chicken and eggs were reduced by 30 percent.

This was revealed in a study titled "Highly Path-ogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Bangladesh", presented at a seminar in the conference room of Bangladesh Live-stock research Institute (BLRI) here.

The BLRI carried out the study where as many as 17 researchers worked. The study aimed at finding out the reason behind the avian influenza, its spread and social impact. Director general of the BLRI Dr Jahangir Alam led the research team.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas inaugurated the day-long seminar.

Latif Biswas said, the poultry sector is worth about Taka 15,000 crore while the country's 20 percent people have been involved in the potential poultry sector.

The government, he said, is ready to do everything whatever necessary for development of the poultry sector. There is no bird flu panic in the country, the Minister said and urged poultry farmers to establish small poultry farm at far- flung areas for boosting investment in the sector. He assured them of providing government's support in this regard. Presenting the research findings, in-charge of National Reference Laboratory Dr M Gias Uddin said, the migrant birds had carried the bird flu and ultimately resulted in hurting the county's poultry industry.

First of all, he said, the bird flu infected poultry birds and subsequently it spread out in commercial farms.

The seminar was participated, among others, by Fisheries and Livestock Secretary M Shah Alam, vice chancellor of Bangladesh Agriculture University Prof Abdus Sattar Mondol.

Nearly 150 representatives from different universities including fisheries experts took part at the seminar.

Source: BSS, Dhaka