The number of chickens and ducks culled due to the spread of avian influenza(AI) has reached more than 20 million.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that as of Wednesday, 19-point-two million poultry were culled and one-point-six million more were going to be buried.

The accumulated figure accounts for 12-point-six percent of all of the nation's chickens and ducks.

The Hyundai Economic Research Institute estimated that the direct and indirect opportunity cost implications of AI will reach a minimum of 492 billion won and up to one-point-47 trillion won.