The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Bird flu lands poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh in soup

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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Bird flu lands poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh in soup

Rate of egg has come down from Rs. 1.70 to Re. 1 each
Broiler rate has come down from Rs. 38 to Rs. 32

HYDERABAD: The poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh is staring at a major crisis following confirmed outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal. It’s as if the industry is hit by a double whammy of sorts. On one hand, the domestic export of eggs has plummeted to its nadir, while on the other, prices of eggs and even broiler are fast declining.

That’s not all. The cost of feed ingredients like maize and soya have registered 100 per cent increase, threatening to break the back of an industry, which is already under severe stress. With no domestic export, layer poultry farm owners are faced with an unenviable task of storing eggs in their facilities. Shortage of trays to hold these many eggs has become a major challenge for layer farm owners. Already, the signs are ominous. “Rate of egg have come down from Rs. 1.70 to Re. 1 each and broiler rates from Rs. 38 to Rs. 32. We are pinning our hopes on sales within the State to make up for the losses. Prices could plunge further if this trend continues,” feels president of Poultry Breeders Association D. Ram Reddy.

Andhra Pradesh farmers export as many as 2.5 crore eggs a day to other States, mostly north India, while the total production of eggs is around 5.5 crore per day. The break-even price per egg, including production costs, for a producer roughly is Rs. 1.50 paise per egg while the present going rate is just Re. 1.

The industry would be incurring losses to the tune of Rs. 2.75 crore per day. And this loss is only on poultry eggs. “It took three to four months for things to stabilise after the Maharashtra bird flu outbreak. If the flu does not spread to other parts from West Bengal, it would take another two to three months for things to stabilise,” felt Mr. Reddy.

Officials of National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) informed that already the domestic exports of eggs have come to a standstill

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