Chennai, Nov 24, : Tamil Nadu’s poultry farmers are facing dire times as the cost of broiler chicken has fallen dramatically.They used to supply large quantities of chicken and eggs to Andhra, Karnataka, and Kerala in large numbers. Chicken prices, which were based on 123 per kilogram in June, 133 per kg in July, 116 for August, 120 in September, and 120 for September, reached Rs 110 in October, and then Rs 100 in October.The chicken prices are now as low as Rs 72 per kilogram, which is a disaster for poultry farmers who raise large numbers of birds.
Sumesh Gopalan from Coimbatore, a poultry farmer, told IANS that sales have dropped to Rs 72 per kilogram and that we cannot afford it as we are incurring more expenses at the current rate.My farm employs more than 60 people and sells more than 25,000 chickens per week.I will have to close the shop.
Farmers attribute the drop of prices to heavy rains, which lead to roads being damaged and transportation becoming difficult.
The majority of the chickens cannot be transported to neighboring states.Additionally, the increased number of chickens in the farms results in higher expenses and lower revenue.
Krithiga month is another reason.This month, people put the sacred beads on their heads and do one month to forty-five days of penance for Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.
This has also affected the sales of chicken as Ayyappa devotees have renounced all non-vegetarian foods.
Purandaranathan, a poultry farmer, said to IANS from Palladam, Tiruppur district, “Chickens usually take soya or maize and the prices of both these commodities are going up.” This is combined with the fact that chicken loads cannot be transported due to broken roads and torrential rains.Our woes have been doubled by the lack of transportation.
We will have to feed the chickens that are not transported and we won’t get any money if they are not delivered.We are in a difficult situation and I will need to rethink my business strategy.
Small-scale chicken shops are also being affected by the heat, apart from the major poultry farmers.Murugesan, a Erode chicken shop owner, told IANS that he used to sell 30-50 chickens per day, and each one weighed three to four kilograms.
As Sabarimala season is upon us, people are becoming vegetarians, I’m hardly selling five to ten chickens.The stock is also running low due to lack supply.
Poultry farmers tell us that transporting is impossible due to poor roads.
Palladam, in western Tamil Nadu, is the hub for chicken business.
There are more than 5,000 farms in this area.
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