Heatwave strikes India’s poultry business; cost of chicken falls 50%

Heatwave strikes India’s poultry business; cost of chicken falls 50%

Heatwave conditions in several regions of the country have wreaked havoc on the poultry industry, with chicken prices plummeting by half in the last week as producers offloaded chicks in the market for fear that high temperatures would kill the birds.

Fish prices, on the other hand, rose 10-20% during this era due to supply constraints caused by the drying up of ponds where fish are reared.

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‘The heatwave is costing poultry farmers a lot of money,’ said Bittu Dhanda, head of the Poultry Federation of India. ‘There is already overproduction, and now farmers are being forced to sell the chicks at a much lower price due to the heatwave.’ Chicken meat is being sold at a 50% cheaper price than it was in February and March.’

West Bengal poultry farmers are confronting a distinct challenge. Prices for dressed chicken have dropped dramatically as a result of the Assam government’s ongoing closure of western borders to poultry from the neighboring state since the first week of March due to bird flu fears in Jharkhand. The closure has halted the transit of poultry meat from West Bengal to the north-eastern states, resulting in the selling of distressed poultry meat.

Poultry farmers in the state reported that as the weather rises, many people are avoiding chicken flesh. ‘There is also concern that chicks will perish if this high temperature persists,’ said Chandan Das, a chicken farmer from the Hooghly area.

Poultry meat output reached 4.78 million tonnes in 2022, accounting for around 51.44% of the country’s total meat production of 9.29 million tonnes. The volume increased by 6.86% over the previous year.

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The weather has also had an effect on fish prices. ‘Rising temperatures are putting a strain on the supply side.’ Because of the heat, the ponds where fish are raised are drying up. As a result, market prices are rising,’ said Vijay Samal, an Odisha-based fish grower.

Fish prices in West Bengal have risen by 10-20% in the last week and are expected to rise higher if the warmth continues, according to experts. Fishermen and traders are concerned about the Indian Meteorological Department’s prognosis of no temperature drop in the following five days, they claimed.