PALAKKAD: Though the price of chicken has shot through the roof owing to the festive season of Easter, Vishu and the holy month of Ramadan, it would seem that the state’s domestic farmers are hardly the ones reaping the benefit.
“Two months ago, the farm rate of live chicken had crashed to Rs 68-70 per kg, which was below the production cost of Rs 75 per kg. Many of our local farmers suffered severe losses. Now, the farm rate has shot up to Rs 125 per kg. The retail rate has also increased from Rs 85-90 to Rs 140-145 per kg. However, there is no chicken to be sold,” said Jiji Mattathil, state senior vice-president of the Poultry Farmers’ Association. Those importing chicken from Namakkal, Tirupur, Salem and Palladam in Tamil Nadu (TN) and even Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were dictating the prices, he said.
In fact, not more than 15% of the state’s meat demands are met with domestic production. “One of the reasons for this is the lack of hatcheries here. The parent stock is available only in TN. They supply three-day-old chicks to the state for Rs 56-60. If the Kerala government sets up hatcheries and provides chicks at Rs 30, it will benefit farmers. The price of the feed and power rates have also increased,” said Shoukath Ali Akkaraparambil, district president of the Poultry Farmers’ Association. Jiji said the prices of all raw materials needed for poultry rearing have increased. “The government should include poultry farming in agriculture category and provide us subsidies for power and water,” he said.
Many from TN have been promoting a collaborative effort in several districts of Kerala, which has not worked out well for domestic farmers. “Our farmers set up cages for the birds, and someone from TN will leave the chicks here. They also provide feed and medicines, and then take back the chicks after 45 days. However, though they promise to pay Rs 10 per kg while taking back the chicks, they give Rs 6-7 per kg, claiming the chicks didn’t weigh enough. Such exploitation could be avoided if the government helped,” he said.
Jiji pointed out that when the prices of live chicken go below production cost, many small and marginal farmers are pushed out of business. N Abdul Razack, vice-president of Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association, alleged that large corporates who control poultry trade in Tamil Nadu were creating artificial shortages during the festive season to jack up prices.