The poultry industry, which faced the worst crisis, due to the Covid pandemic and lockdown, has picked up pace.
This has brought cheers among poultry rearers. The business has limped back to normalcy and broiler chicken prices, which had come down to around Rs 100 per kg has increased to Rs 180 to Rs 200 per kg in Mysuru. Eggs, which were sold at Rs 3.50, is now Rs 5 per piece, in retail.
It may be recalled that the fear, linking the spread of coronavirus through the purchase and consumption of chicken and meat, and bird flu reported in parts of Mysuru city, kept the people away from non-vegetarian food, for a couple of months. This affected the poultry industry and wholesale price of live chicken which crashed to Rs 25 per kg, leaving poultry rearers in a shock.
But, once the lockdown was lifted, there was a sudden spurt in prices for a few days. The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) had to intervene and fix the price of meat and chicken.
National Egg Coordination Committee zonal chairman M P Sathish Babu told DH that business is picking up pace since a month.
The rise in price is based on demand and supply. Several poultry rearers, who suffered huge loss during the pandemic have stopped business. Thus, production has come down, resulting in the rise in price. The price of live chicken is Rs 100 to Rs 130 per kg by poultry rearers. Middlemen may also be responsible for the hike in retail price of chicken.
The industry recorded a loss of more than Rs 1,000 crore in the state, during lockdown. At one point, there were no takers for eggs, even if it was given free, he recalled.
Demand for chicken has increased and shop owners are compensating for the loss now. Sale has gone up by 60%, and the remaining 40% is affected as small restaurants are not open. Once they open, we hope of seeing profits.
On an average, poultry farmers of Mysuru city and farms in a radius of 30 km, produce around 30 lakh birds annually.
