Rise in Maize price leads poultry industry in crisis

Pune, Dec 6 (UNI) Poultry Industry is currently facing a severe crisis due to unprecedented and unreasonable, increase in the price of Maize, which is the most crucial ingredient of poultry feed, and accounts for more than 80 percent of the cost of production of eggs and broilers.

The National Egg-Co-ordination Committee at its annual general meeting held here on Tuesday while passing certain resolutions has requested the government to come to the rescue of the polultry industry from the present crisis.

Poultry farming is an important and integral part of our rural economy. At the present level of production, poultry sector contributes Rs 35,000 crore approximately to the GNP and provides direct and indirect employment to more than 3.2 million persons, mostly in the Rural areas, A National Eggo Co-ordination Committee (NECC) stated in a press note issued here today.

Nearly 2.0 crore agricultural farmers who grow essential ingredients of poultry feed like Maize and soyabean are also directly dependant on the poultry sector, since 90 per cent of the Maize produced in our country is consumed by the poultry industry.

The NECC stated that normally at this time of the year, Maize prices range between Rs 500 to Rs 550 per quintal. However, this year, the price has gone up to an unprecedented level of Rs 900 per quintal and in some parts of North India, it is as high as Rs 1,000 per quintal. Such steep increase of 90-100 per cent over the previous year was never seen in the past 30 years of the industry's history, the press note added.

UNI SP MJ VKG2001