Poultry farmers in India's Punjab are reeling from high taxes imposed by Jammu and Kashmir governments on the supply of birds from other states, littleabout.com reported. The government has raised tax duties to INR7.50 (US 16 cents) from INR2 (US 4 cents) per bird, which farmers say exceeds their cost of production.
Over half a million eggs and 40,000 to 50,000 chickens enter Jammu and Kashmir each day, mostly from Punjab's farms.
About 30% of the poultry farmers in Punjab have already shut down their farms due to the high cost of feed ingredients, chicks and labor, according to Sumit Chawla, a local poultry farmer. The taxes will result in further closures, he added.
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