The appeal comes from poultry producers in both the organised sector as well as the unorganised, according to reports in The Economic Times.

The reports say teh producers are calling for grants of Rs 400 crore to cover losses.

Although there was no large-scale culling of chickens in the organised poultry sector following the recent attack of the disease in major parts of the state, the sector has suffered a loss of Rs 400 crore because of a fall in sales of chickens and eggs over the last month, the West Bengal Poultry Forum, the representative body of the organised poultry sector, claimed.

The forum has also called on the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government to restore the supply of chicken feed, which has been severely disrupted in the wake of outbreak of bird flu.

The West Bengal state government recently announced a Rs 700-crore package to help teh poultry producers and it has made a provision of Rs 100 crore to all the affected 37 lakh poultry farmers including organised poultry owners, teh Economic Times reports.