Visakhapatnam: chicken prices soar on surge in feed costs

Farmers have stopped supplying feed to the poultry as they seem to be interested in exports, says broiler association

The price of broiler chicken has taken wings in the past few days. Traders and poultry industry observers attribute it to the steep hike in the cost of corn, soyabean and rice bran oil, which go into the making of feed for the fowls.

The price of broiler chicken(skinless) in the city, which was ₹208 a kg in mid-February, has gone up to ₹270 a kg at the beginning of this month and increased steadily thereafter. It is now being sold for prices ranging between ₹270 and ₹300.

The consumption of chicken meat, which fell drastically after the first wave of COVID-19, following rumours of possible spread of the virus through it, increased tremendously after social media campaigns by doctors and others on the need to consume chicken meat and eggs to boost immunity, which was required to fight the virus.

An estimated five lakh fowls or about 8 lakh kg of meat is consumed in the city and district on Sundays and about one-third of that quantity on weekdays.

“The price per kg on Sunday(March 13) was ₹280(skinless); ₹270 (with skin) and ₹150 (live bird). We expect it to cross ₹300 in a few days in view of the high input cost on feed. Corn, which used to be sold at ₹1,600 a quintal has gone up to ₹2,500. The cost of soyabean has increased by ₹15 a kg and the cost of rice bran oil, which is mixed in the feed has also increased,” says T. Appa Rao, president of Visakhapatnam Broiler Association.

“Farmers have stopped supplying feed to the poultry as they seem to be interested in exports as it is said to be in high demand abroad, reportedly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The imports from Russia and Ukraine have stopped in view of the war,” he says.

“Broiler chicks gain a maximum weight of around 2 kg in six weeks, if it is fed properly. During summer, the fowls abstain from feeding during the day and sustain themselves mostly on water. With summer setting in, the birds will minimise their feed and as a result they do not gain much weight. The meat production will go down and the demand will rise, resulting in further increase in price,” says Bharanikana Rama Rao, national committee member, National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), who has been associated with the poultry industry for over two decades.