Hyderabad: People in the next few days will have to shell out more money on buying an egg as the production cost is increasing dramatically due to the increase in poultry feed. An egg in the retail market costs Rs. 5 each while at the farm gate its price is around Rs. 3.25 each.
Poultry farmers say they are suffering a huge loss due to the rising cost of feed. “Price of maize in the domestic market has increased from Rs. 18,000 per tonne to about Rs. 25,000 per tonne, further it is expected to touch Rs. 30,000. Similarly, prices of soya meal witnessed a steep hike,” said Sanjeev Chintawar of the National Egg Coordination Committee.
Due to the huge difference between the production cost and the retail price or farm gate price, the farmers are suffering huge losses. “On average, we are at a loss of Rs. 1.50 per egg. Already farmers suffered a huge loss due to Covid and are unable to bear it anymore,” he said.
In the coming days, if the prices of feed don’t come down, the poultry farmers will be forced to pass the losses on the market and indirectly on to the consumers. “As an alternative we are asking the government of India to allot at least two million tonnes of damaged wheat, paddy, and broken rice, which is unfit for human consumption. This will be used in poultry feed as a partial substitute for maize,” the NECC appealed.
The poultry farmers point out that if the demand is accepted by the government, it will help in bringing down the prices of the chicken also. A kilogram of chicken is now priced around Rs. 250 a kilogram in the retail market.
A general manager of the poultry farm pointed out that a lot of maize from the country is being exported to other countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Ukraine is the largest producer of maize and due to the ongoing conflict, exports to the other countries were affected, the big businessmen turn towards the Indian market to meet the demand,” he said.
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