(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-02-10 16:22

While bird flu is wreaking havoc insouth east Asia, a chicken farm in east China's Fujian Province plans to raise 60 percent more chicken this year, expanding its flock from 3 million to 5 million.

Guangze Shengnong Enterprise Ltd. farm is the largest chicken provider to areas south of the Yangtze River.

"The step is risky, but the profits are tempting," said Fu Guangming, chairman of the company.

Bird flu has killed so many chickens and ducks in southeastern Asia that production capacity would take a long time to return to normal when the crisis ended, Fu said.

The avian influenza virus spread only in temperatures under 15 degrees Celsius and would disappear when it turned warm in April and May and the market would revive just as it did after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) last year, Fusaid.

During the SARS outbreak, some countries prohibited imports of Chinese poultry products and some of China's overseas markets weretaken by other southeastern Asian countries.

The company is not waiting for the same thing to happen again.

It is also tightening hygiene measures.

Since bird flu broke out in Vietnam last year, the farm has been on alert. All workers are required to shower and be disinfected before entering work areas. Workers are forbidden to bring poultry products from outside. Rats and sparrows are exterminated in the vicinity by workers mobilized to kill possiblevirus carriers.

The farm also boasts a special location at the southern end of the scenic Wuyi Mountain chain. The clean air, clear water and lowpopulation flow help reduce virus transmission, Fu said.

Some experts see the investment as rash, while others reckon itis courageous and will achieve huge profits when the crisis is over.

China produces over 40 percent of the world's eggs and 12 million tons of chicken annually, about 19 percent of the world's total.

Since the first outbreak of bird flu on Jan. 27 in China, the country has slaughtered 1.21 million birds.