Egg prices shoot up as production falls

Thousands of chicken die due to excessive heat

Karimnagar: The sudden surge of prices of eggs started pinching the consumers who love to have them in all seasons. Around 50 lakh chickens have died due to the extreme heat conditions prevailing in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states within a short span of time.

It is quite normal for the egg production to decline during summer season, but the sudden death of chicken further lowered the production leading to the prices of the eggs to skyrocket. In open market the price of each egg is Rs 4.50. The price of dozen eggs has risen from Rs 36 to Rs 54, a fortnight ago.

Speaking to The Hans India, Kothapalli Narsaiah, na agriculture labour, said they used to eat egg curry every alternate day, but now they have reduced the consumption since last two weeks, following the hike in the price. They are eating eggs twice in a week, he added.

Though the government machinery had claimed that no Swine Flu case was reported in the district, hundreds of birds were died with H1N1 virus. Both hovering heat and Swine Flu were the main reasons for death of birds in large scale, experts in the poultry industries opined.

National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) district president A Mohan Reddy said poultry industry affected badly due to the heavy temperatures in the recent summer. There was 40 lakh lyre birds population in 130 poultry farms across the district. An average, there would be 80 to 85 percent eggs production per day. It has fallen to 40 to 50 percent which resulted in the raise of price.

Neither the poultry farmers nor the consumers were getting benefitted and the middle men were the ones who are minting money. Like other farmers, poultry farmers were also in crisis as the production cost raised number of times, he said. The farmers have to spend Rs 650 on each bird up to six months period and he would get about 300 eggs.

Besides medicine and feed, there would be other expenditure such as farm maintenance, labour charges etc. Farmer has to sell each egg for a price more than Rs 3 if he wants to get at least a marginal benefit.

But for some reasons, the price decreases to Rs 2 to Rs 2.50, he said. With the eggs being exported to other states like Maharashtra, Haryana and West Bengal, there was a shortfall for them in Karimnagar, which is the highest egg production district in Telangana State, observed Nawab, Chicken Centres’ Welfare Association district president.

Informing that both lyre and broiler birds fall sick with bird flu virus, he said production of both egg and chicken was effected. Poultry industry, which gained momentum recently after suffering a big jolt during the last three years, has again struck in troubles with heavy temperatures and Swine Flu, Nawab said and asked the State government to take measures to protect the poultry industry.

By Raghu Paithari