Alappuzha: The bird flu and the consequent government decision to cull over two lakh ducks have almost wiped out the seasonal business worth Rs 10 crore in Kuttanad. The farmers are yet to get the compensation of Rs 200 per duck announced by Animal Husbandry Minister K.Raju after a visit to the affected places on November 2. The farmers had sought interest-free bank loans, free ration and compensation of Rs 300 per matured duck and Rs 150 for those aged below 60 days. But no action has been taken though culling operations are almost over.
Mr B. Rajasekaran, state president, All-Kerala Duck Farmers’ Society, said they had submitted a memorandum seeking among other things insurance for ducks and subsidies for duck farming to the previous and present governments. But the authorities have ignored them, he said. Without government aid, the traditional industry will not survive, he said and complained that the government had no proper details of duck farmers scattered across Kuttanad.
In 2014, the government had tried to get their details from a few places like Mankompu, Pallipad and Edathua. Mr Samuel Pallipad, state secretary of the society, demanded the payment of compensation at the earliest and said a regularisation policy should be implemented among farmers. The maximum number of ducks a farmer can rear should be limited to 10,000. He also asked the government to include duck farming in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.
