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Anxiety is rife among small and medium poultry farmers of Kuttanad, Kerala’s rice bowl spread over three districts, after a state panel recently recommended a ban on the sale and transportation of poultry birds till next March due to fears of the deadly avian flu.
Kuttanad is spread across the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta in southern and central Kerala. It is the site of the picturesque Vembanad lake, a Ramsar site that surrounds the Kuttanad backwaters region, where farmers primarily make a living by raising poultry birds.
But an outbreak of avian flu which started at the end of April has taken a staggering toll on flocks in the poultry farms, according to Kerala animal husbandry minister, J Chinchu Rani.
While avian influenza has been recorded in the state since 2014, primarily among ducks, this year saw a worrying shift. Broiler chickens, egg chickens, peafowl, crows, and other birds fell victim to the fast-spreading virus, a strain of H5N1. The state reported 37 epicentres (Alappuzha—29, Kottayam—5, and Pathanamthitta—3), with a staggering death toll of 62,334 birds across the three districts.
This latest outbreak is the sixth major one in the region over the past nine years. All outbreaks, along with the COVID-19 lockdown and a few other zoonotic diseases, have crippled the backbone of the local poultry industry.
A state government-appointed expert panel has now recommended banning the sale and transportation of poultry in Kerala surveillance zones until the end of the bird migration season, which concludes in March 2025.
The report, now under active consideration by the state government for implementation, recommends a blanket ban on selling and transporting poultry (to and from) in surveillance zones of the Kuttanad region until March.
No new ducks or chickens should be restocked in districts affected by the disease until the ban ends. The report suggested that hatcheries in surveillance zones, including on government farms, should remain closed until the end of the ban.
The minister said an expert team comprising the state’s best veterinarians had recommended several immediate, short-term, and long-term plans for disease control and to prevent future outbreaks, and the ban was the highlight among them.
Chinchu Rani added that the Kerala government would carefully consider the ‘practical implications’ of the recommendations and take necessary action.
However, the measure has raised serious concerns about livelihoods and the rural economy.
“Who will compensate the poultry growers of the region who run small- and medium-scale businesses? The government acknowledges bird flu as a health issue but overlooks its significant financial impact. The compensation for culled birds is grossly inadequate, and the reimbursement process is still pending. A blanket ban on poultry activities would be devastating in the three districts where families have no other source of income to rely on,” K X Joppan, president of the Kerala State Chicken Traders Association, told Down To Earth (DTE).
He has also objected to the panel's suggestion of enforcing a cap of 3,000-5,000 ducks or chickens on a farm.
Kuttanad’s farmers used to rear between 400,000 and 500,000 birds (mostly Chara and Chemballi — two local duck breeds) a season to sell at subsequent festival occasions.
There are other objections as well.
In light of the potential for disease transmission from migratory birds, the Kerala panel has suggested raising ducks in enclosures and farms, instead of open fields and water bodies of Kuttanad.
“Kuttanad’s ducks are popular across Kerala as people believe their distinct taste is because they can find natural food in open fields and are not kept in cages. The new recommendation is challenging the region’s traditional farming system and is spoiling the popular preference for the Kuttanad brand of ducks,” B Rajasekharan, president of the Alappuzha-based Aikya Tharavu Karshaka Sangham, a united group of duck farmers, told DTE.
Thiruvananthapuram-based environmental activist Thomas Lawrence, who is from Kuttanad, highlighted that its ducks are lean and not meaty. They contrast sharply with hybrids and broilers available in the rest of India.
”The flesh of the Kuttanad duck is unique because of what it consumes from the water, such as insects, small fish, and grains leftover from harvesting and threshing,” added Lawrence. “Of course, the crucial component is its complete submersion in water for most of the time.”
Many regular buyers of Kuttanad ducks say they purchase them because of how it is being raised.
“Its rearing makes it tastier. You can cook it in any way, just like other duck varieties cooked worldwide. However, in terms of taste, the Kuttanad duck will stand out,” said PN Somalatha, a retired educator in Thiruvananthapuram who hails originally from Anchal in Kollam.
“The bony Kuttanad duck requires some acclimatisation for those with palates accustomed to soft, boneless meats,” she warned.
Ducks from the region are the highlight of most dining tables during Christmas, New Year, and Easter.
Kuttanad’s most popular and traditional duck dish is a curry cooked with coriander powder, pepper, coconut milk, and green chilies. It has a deep green colour. Duck mappas and varutharacha roast, prepared with red chilies, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, pepper, star anise, and fennel, are well-liked. Mappas is a gravy-based dish with a hint of spice that uses coconut milk.
Kerala traditionally braces for bird flu during the colder months of November and December. However, this year, the outbreak emerged in April and continues despite massive culling.
Equipped with the expert committee report, Kerala now plans to establish robust surveillance systems in the Kuttanad region and areas visited by migratory birds and setting up a BSL-3 laboratory in the region.
However, for the beleaguered farmers of Kuttanad, there is no relief; only an uncertain future.
“The number of medium-scale duck farmers has drastically dwindled in the three districts, with only around 50 remaining. This season, they have raised around 150,000 birds, far fewer than before the bird flu outbreak. Meanwhile, the number of small-scale farmers has increased. However, the overall production is not expected to reach previous levels due to the ongoing massive culling to prevent the flu and the lack of support from authorities,” Rajasekharan lamented.
“Many duck farmers could not farm this time due to delayed compensation for birds lost a year ago. The government’s apathy towards the sector is inexcusable,” he added.
“The bird flu outbreaks in 2014 and 2016 led to the culling of around 800,000 ducks, and after a brief respite, the region witnessed three more outbreaks between January 2021 and October 2022, resulting in the loss of another 250,000 ducks. Over 100,000 birds have already been culled this time, and the process is going on,” said MP Xavier, a duck farmer from Kainakari in Kuttanad.
He added that those farmers who rely on selling chicks or breeding stock are left with stagnant businesses.
“The unexpected early outbreak and the aggressive spread of the virus have created a sense of uncertainty and fear among farmers. We worry about the long-term viability of maintaining poultry farms, especially with the restrictions on restocking and movement,” he said.