SWABI, May 11: Poultry traders in Swabi district have suffered a loss of Rs106 million since reports about the outbreak of bird flu in the country started appearing in the media.

The bird flu scare has forced the traders to either close or curtail their business.

Sources told this correspondent that the estimated loss was Rs70 million in broiler and Rs36 million in layer poultry.

Across the district, sources said, there were about 1.3 million poultry birds and 700 poultry farms of which only 300 had been registered with the authorities concerned.

Sources said only Musamar Khan’s farm had suffered a loss of Rs175,000 and he was forced to closed down the farm because the prices of chicken plunged to lowest level during the past few days.

The chickens were sold at Rs15 per kg and the low prices have put the survival of the poultry at stake.

“The bird which we did not sell for Rs100 was sold for Rs30,” said a farm owner.

When contacted, the in-charge of district veterinary hospital, Dr Ibrahim, said that there was no bird flu case in the district.

“We have sent 400 samples to the concerned department of the federal government and 200 more cases will be sent till Friday to get laboratory reports about bird flu,” he said.

About 400 dead birds which were buried near Shakari-Gadoon road, he said the birds were brought from Rawalpindi by poultry dealers. When they expired in the middle of the way, they offloaded them there.

Later, the birds were buried by the workers of nearby poultry farms.