TIRUPATI: The ongoing tensions and war situation in West Asia have affected the poultry sector in South India, leading to a crash in egg prices and creating financial stress for poultry farmers in the erstwhile Chittoor district, comprising Tirupati, Chittoor and Annamayya districts. The Chittoor region is considered the second-largest egg production belt in the country after the Namakkal region of Tamil Nadu.
According to poultry industry sources, India exports nearly one crore eggs per day to Gulf countries such as the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. However, exports to Middle East countries have come to a complete halt as importers from Gulf nations have cancelled egg export orders from India over the past week. A large share of these eggs is sourced from southern states including Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Due to disruptions in cargo ship consignments and aviation routes to West Asian countries following the war situation, exports have slowed considerably, resulting in surplus eggs entering the domestic market. This has led to a sharp fall in egg prices. The National Egg Coordination Committee price has dropped to around Rs 4.20 per egg, while in several wholesale markets prices have fallen to Rs 3.30–Rs 3.50 per egg.
Poultry farmers say the average production cost of an egg is around Rs 4.50, forcing them to incur losses. “In the backdrop of the war situation, egg transportation has also become difficult. Additionally, the prices of poultry feed have also increased,” said V Ramesh, Central Executive Committee Member of the National Egg Coordination Committee.
The poultry sector has a significant presence in the erstwhile Chittoor district. With export orders halted abruptly, farmers are facing severe hardships and financial losses. Poultry farmers say the rising cost of feed ingredients is further increasing their financial burden. “Poultry farmers are losing around Rs 1.50 to Rs 2 on each egg for the last one week,” said a poultry farmer N Chandrashekar from Puthalapattu.
Apart from hatcheries, the district has hundreds of commercial poultry farms located mainly in Palamaner, Gangavaram, Punganur, Madanapalle, Puttur, Nagari and surrounding mandals, forming one of the important poultry belts in the State.
Official estimates indicate that poultry farms and hatcheries in the district together maintain over 48 lakh layer birds, contributing significantly to egg production in the region.