After the second week of February there was misinformation floating that linked chicken and egg consumption to coronavirus. Farmers were left with no option but to resort to culling of birds or destroy their produce due to huge drop in demand amidst surplus production and it melted down to impact the cut chicken price in market. This scenario also impacted the allied sectors like feed manufacturers with austere losses in revenues. The poultry industry of the country has been an animated topic of discourse during the pandemic. It caused incredible losses during the entire lockdown period. In a recent virtual conclave, experts from diverse backgrounds gathered to share insights and discuss on the plight of poultry farmers and the industry’s path to recovery. Among them there were Mr Amit Saraogi, Managing Director, Anmol Feeds and Mr. Suresh Rayudu Chitturi, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Srinivasa Farms Private Limited and Chairman, International Egg Commission, Prof (Dr.) P K Shukla, Mr. Sanjoy Mukherjee, Ms. Pallavi Mathur Lal, Senior Client Officer, Ipsos in India, Mr. Hareesh Tibrewala, Joint CEO , Mirum India, Dr. Yadu Nandan, Managing Director, Jaika Hospitality Ventures, Ms. Meghal Singh, Founder, Mommy’s Kitchen, Celebrity Chef, Vicky Ratnani and Mr. Bahadur Ali, Founder & Managing Director, IB Group & Mr. Gulrez Alam, Director, IB Group.
However, the last three months have witnessed a rise in the price of chicken which helped the industry improve. The poultry industry got further relief with the Rs 15,000 crore for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund announced by the Centre. The livestock sector currently contributes 25.6% to the Agricultural GDP and 4.11% to the National GDP which is far below the potential it holds. Poultry contributes Rs 1.3 lakh crore to the GDP. Managing Director of Anmol Feeds, Mr Amit Saraogi said, the poultry industry had run into losses of over Rs 26,000 crores in just 3 months, owing to misinformation about COVID 19 spreading from the consumption of chicken. The prices of raw materials had gone up by nearly 10-15 per cent. More than 70 million small farmers were in deep debt trap owing to severe liquidity crunch and their livelihood was at stake. We have sent multiple letters to the ministry at the Centre and State level through the West Bengal Poultry Federation and through CII, he added.
