TIRUPPUR: Indian Poultry farmers panic as the rates of the raw material used to manufacture poultry feed like soya extract (oil cake) have risen from Rs 40 to Rs 90 per kilogram in just a year. A bag (50 kg) of maize seed which cost around Rs 1,800 has jumped to 2,600. As a result, broiler farm of Indian poultry industry have started to reduce their production, from 10 to 25%.
According to sources, the Indian broiler industry of Western Tamil Nadu is worth over Rs 4,000 crores with more than 5,000 broiler farms in Palladam (Tiruppur). They produce 10 lakh broilers per week and supply to Coimbatore, Erode, Nilgiris, Dindigul and Tiruppur.
Speaking to TNIE, Broiler Coordination Committee – secretary K Chinnasami said, “This soya extract comes from Maharashtra, Northern Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh through trains. An average of 1,000 tonnes of the soya extract are consumed by the broiler farms every day. But, there is a huge shortage of soya extract in these regions. Further, the price of maize has also started to increase. The rising prices are hurting the broiler farms of Indian poultry industry. As it is the prime ingredient, we have advised to all the broiler farmers to reduce the production output by 25%.”
Speaking to TNIE, Sri Balaji Poultry owner V Harigopal said, “I have more than 18,000 broilers in my broiler farm in Kethanur, Palladam, and each broiler weighs 2.25 kg on average. The broiler gained 2 kilos within 45 days mainly due to feeds including soya cake (35%) and maize seeds (65%). These are the primary components that offer protein and energy for the broiler to grow. The right combination of the feed helps the broiler to gain weight. Thus the farm owner makes a profit. For the past year, the price of soya cake has risen to Rs 68 per kg. We are entirely dependent on the North Indian market for soya extract cake. Some traders hoard and create artificial scarcity forcing us to reduce the output of broiler up to 25%.”
P Shanmugam, a poultry farm owner said, ” I have more than one lakh broilers in my poultry farm in Palladam. I sell 12,000- 15,000 birds to Coimbatore, Kerala and other places in a week. Due to increased input costs, we are unable to expand our business or profit margin. So, to survive, we are reducing the production.”
Source – The Newindianexpress
