Egg prices fall drastically in Namakkal due to bird flu outbreak in Hyderabad
The demand for eggs plunged to its lowest amidst stagnation of a huge volume of eggs in Hyderabad.
Representative image
COIMBATORE: The bird flu outbreak in Hyderabad in Telangana has taken a toll on the poultry sector in Namakkal, the poultry hub of Tamil Nadu, as the procurement price of eggs has fallen drastically to Rs 3.80 per piece.
The demand for eggs plunged to its lowest amidst stagnation of a huge volume of eggs in Hyderabad. “This is the first time in over three years, the price of eggs has gone less than Rs four. Poultry units in Namakkal face an average daily loss of up to Rs. seven crores due to falling price of eggs. The production cost of an egg hovers around Rs 5.20 paise,” said ‘Vangili’ Subramaniam, president of Tamil Nadu Egg Poultry Farmers Marketing Society.
Egg procurement prices fell steeply by Rs 1.10 paise in the last five days, leaving the poultry sector in trouble. The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) in Namakkal Zone has fixed the egg prices at Rs 3.80 per egg on Monday, by reducing Rs 20 paise from Rs 4 per egg.
The NECC has insisted the poultry farmers sell eggs at a price fixed by it based on demand, supply, and not to sell at lower prices. So far, the farmers were selling eggs by up to Rs 50 paise less than the price determined by NECC.
Unable to meet the surging loss, the poultry farmers in Namakkal have now decided to cut down egg production by ten per cent. The 1000 odd poultry farms in Namakkal zone produce over six crore eggs daily. Besides catering to the demand of consumers from across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and northern states, over ten crore eggs were being exported abroad every month.
Poultry farmers are confident that bird flu may not spread to Namakkal due to their strict adherence to bio-security measures.
“Even though bird flu outbreak has been reported in different parts of the country previously, the containment measures undertaken by the poultry units here have ensured Namakkal to be infection free,” said S Venkadesan, a poultry farmer.
Poultry farmers hope that egg prices may rebound in the coming days with the end of kumbhamela, when consumption dipped in northern states. The ongoing exam season in schools has been attributed to the sluggish demand.
