Imphal, January 29: The inter-State ban on import of poultry and their products being enforced yet again in the wake of recent outbreak of avian flu in the State of West Bengal has created panic in the neighbouring States and especially the consumers are found to be most affected with the sudden price hike.

In a drive against the inflow of poultry and their products into the State, at about 7.30 pm yesterday the city police seized 420 chicks from one Abhishek Shahu at Nagamapal.

Culling operations of the chicks imported from outside were taken up today at Porompat and to check the import of fowls and their products, Veterinary officials have been stationed at Imphal Airport, sources said.

Untill recently, though there was a meagre hike in the price of these fowls farmers could still manage with the import of chicks from Assam at their disposal.

But this time around, with stringent measures coming into effect in view of what has occured in West Bengal a stiff hike is likely to take place and worse still, for the consumers, poultry and their products could be out of stock in the market after few months.

According to Ningthoujam Ibungo who runs a poultry shop at Kwakeithel Bazar, the farmers largely depend on the import of chicks from either Kolkata or Gauhati, however due to the culling operations that recently started in West Bengal they had to totally depend on Gauhati products these few weeks.

But with this inter-State ban of import of poultry and their products being enforced we have no alternative to carry on our business as chicks being produced in some places in Manipur are not adequate in quantity and moreover such products are usually of no good breed and therefore they are not economically viable to deal with, he said.