However, the products can be sold only from Thursday evening.
The decision was taken on Wednesday after a discussion between the Directorate of Animal Health (DOAH) and the stakeholders.
“We decided to lift the ban but poultry products can be sold in the market on from tomorrow evening as it takes time organize everything back to normal,” said Dr Narayan Prasad Ghimire, spokesperson at DOAH. [break]
The directorate had imposed the ban on import, export and distribution of entire poultry products in the valley since last Thursday following the rapid spread of bird flu.
The government had evoked clause 15 of the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act, 1999, that allows restriction on the movement and transport of animals within Nepal if there is an outbreak of contagious diseases.
"The virus has not ceased to infect farms. However, continuing the ban would not work for long both for the people and the poultry farmers. So we are going to strictly monitor and allow only healthy chicken products into the market,” Ghimire claimed.
According to Ghimire, disease control operations were carried out at three places of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur on Wednesday as well. The H1N1 virus has been detected in scores of poultry farms even after imposing the ban.
“I am right now not in a position to report the exact number of chickens killed today but it was a massive operation,” Ghimire informed.
National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) under the Department of Health Services (DoHS) claims to have found no human infection so far.
The laboratory conducted tests on samples collected from five people of Bhaktapur recently. "None of them were found to be infected," said Dr Geeta Shakya, director of the NPHL.
The ban has affected both the poultry farmers and the meat lovers. According to farmers, 250,000 kg of poultry product is consumed in the valley daily.
Related story
Make chicken affordable
