The price of poultry has declined sharply in Assam with many people apprehending that its consumption could infect them with the deadly coronavirus.

Bikash Deka, a poultry vendor near Downtown here, said, “The price for 1kg of chicken in most parts of Guwahati was Rs 130-160 but with the outbreak of coronavirus, the prices have started to fall. People are no longer buying poultry fearing that they might be infected but we are not even sure if it’s true.”

Ismail Kadir, another vendor of the area, said, “Since we have a family to look after and this is the only business we have ever done, we have reduced the prices hoping that people would buy.”

Kadir said they have fixed the price at Rs 100 per kilogram in Downtown area while vendors in some other areas are selling at an even cheaper rate.

However, in areas near Chandmari and Noonmati, the prices remain as high as Rs 160 per kilogram of chicken.

Debashish Bora, a poultry farm owner, said he had no idea why people had stopped poultry consumption. “If there was a threat, the government would have given us some sort of notification but we have not seen anything of the sort. Rumours appear to be causing a massive loss to the poultry industry,” he added.

In some districts such as Nagaon, Barpeta, Sivasagar and Lakhimpur, the price of chicken has fallen to Rs 50 per kilogram.

However, the prices of mutton and other meat remain as usual.