"Yes, we have lifted the ban on poultry goods on a request from the Centre," J&K Minister for Animal Husbandry Taj Mohiuddin told PTI on Friday.

The lifting of ban on poultry comes close on the heels of lifting of the ban on import of eggs. The ban was imposed in the wake of outbreak of bird flu in some areas of Maharashtra.

He said investigations revealed that there was no fear of any kind of disease among the poultry that comes to the state from neighbouring Punjab and hence the ban has been lifted.

The Centre has assured the state government that there is nothing to worry about the poultry in Punjab, he added.

All the poultry in the valley comes from Punjab which till now has been a safe zone.

Taj said the bird flu was only prevalent in some parts of central India and Maharashtra and that too in backyard hatcheries and not in mass production poultries.

"We are safe. There is absolutely nothing to fear. We don't get any of our poultry from Maharashtra and our independent investigations also revealed that all poultry coming into the state is free from disease," he said.