Date:28/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/28/stories/2004032803850500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Poultry industry in dire straits

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, MARCH 27. The poultry industry is in the doldrums over the steep increase in raw material cost and the growing fear over bird flu. At a time when the industry is making a serious attempt to remove misconception on bird flu by launching a campaign on consumption of eggs and chicken, the phenomenal demand for soya and other raw material in the US, Brazil and other countries due to severe drought there, has come as a bolt from the blue for poultry farmers.

Soya rate which was around Rs.9,000 per tonne in the country last year has gone up to Rs.16,500 this year due to severe shortage. The Visakhapatnam and Kakinada ports are exporting a large quantity of maize to Argentina and other countries following which the cost in the domestic market has increased from last year's Rs.450 to Rs.700 per tonne.

With summer fast approaching, the rate of groundnut cake, another important feed for the industry, has gone up from Rs.8,000 to Rs.12,000 per tonne. "The double attack -- bird flu and increase in raw material cost -- has come as a big blow for the poultry farmers whose pleas to the Government for support price and subsidies have fallen on deaf ears,'' regretted the Zonal Chairman of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), K. Varahala Raju, in a chat with The Hindu on Friday.

The cost of production of an egg had gone up by over 60 per cent, he said and added: "Our per-egg production cost which was Rs.1.20 last year has increased by 20 paise this year. We are incurring a loss of 50 paise per egg as we are selling it at 90 paise in the retail market. The broiler chicken is also being sold at Rs.20 per kg as against its production cost of Rs.30.''

The sudden rise in temperature this month had resulted in a drop in production besides affecting the health of the poultry birds, Mr. Raju lamented.

"AP produces 10 crore broiler birds a year. The per capita egg consumption is 44 in the State as against 180 recommended by the Indian Standards of Nutrition,'' he said.