The outlook for the expansion of the broiler industries in India
Broiler chicken is an important sector in poultry production since it offers high-quality animal protein. Over the the years, broiler meat output and demand in India have been roughly equal. In 2020, India’s poultry meat production volume exceeded four million metric tonnes (5th largest poultry meat producer in the world). This was a significant rise from the previous year’s total of over 1.5 million metric tonnes. India’s per capita chicken meat consumption is estimated to be approximately 3.1 kilogram per year, which is lower when compared to the global average of roughly 17 kg per year. The states of Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana produce the majority of poultry meat. The Cobb breed accounts for around 65-70 percent of the broiler market. Vencobb’s grandparent stock is owned by a large corporation that distributes parent stock to various integrators across India. Ross, Marshall, Hubbard, Hybro Avian, and Anak are more prominent breeds in India. In India, broilers are typically raised for 35-40 days to a market weight of 1.8 to 2.2 kg. The ratio of feed conversion for broilers has reportedly improved significantly over the years, reducing from 2.2 to 1.65. Live sale volumes of broiler meat currently account for more than 90-95 percent of the total volume of sales; processed chicken meat accounts for just around 5% of total output., but demand for processed chicken meat is expected to increase at a rate of 15%-20% per year as the middle class expands. However, because of rising feed prices and other factors, chicken prices have gradually risen in recent years. Despite this, chicken meat exports are hampered due to insufficient slaughtering and processing facilities, as well as an undeveloped cold chain.
Top leading companies leading broiler integration in India are as follows:
The outlook for the expansion of the layer industries in India
- Venkateswara Group, Pune
- Suguna Poultry Frams Ltd, Coimbatore
- Pioneer Poultry Group, Coimbatore
- Godrej Agrovet Ltd, Mumbai
- Sky Lark Group, North India
- Jafa com feed
The outlook for the expansion of the layer industries in India
Poultry eggs are an important source of high-quality proteins, minerals, and vitamins that help in maintaining the human diet. Commercial layer strains having excellent egg production and feed conversion efficiency are currently available. Superior chicken germplasm has been developed by both the public and commercial sectors to meet the needs of the Indian poultry industry. The major source of family income or a continuous source of income and gainful employment for farmers might depend on the size of the farm where layer (egg) farming is performed.
After China and the United States, India is the world’s third-largest producer of eggs. In India, per capita, egg consumption has increased from 30 eggs per year to 86 eggs per year. Human nutritionists suggest a minimum of 180 eggs per year for a healthy adult human, indicating that the Indian poultry sector is packed with opportunities. Eggs are generally accepted in almost all communities and are widely accessible at reasonable costs across the country. India’s total layer production has grown to 122 billion eggs per year. 70% of layer birds are raised in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, and in the northern state of Haryana. Egg production is also growing in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.
The majority of layer bird farming occurs in southern India due to less variation in a seasonal climate. Backyards generated 30% of the eggs produced in India. The majority of the time, commercial layers are raised in cages. The Babcock is the most popular layer breed, accounting for around 80% of the market. Lohman, Bovans, and Hyline are some more layer breeds. In most situations, the eggs are sold in bulk without branding. Increasing domestic egg and egg product consumption is important for the layer sector to continue expanding consistently. In addition to the traditional egg dishes such boiling eggs, egg curries, omelettes, pickles, poached eggs, and scrambled eggs, there are other commercial egg products that have promise as food items.
Main market players: A large group of poultry companies are based in and around Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh) account for the majority of the birds and eggs produced in India. Hyderabad in Telangana is the epicenter for the poultry industry in India owing to the presence of large producers as well as the existence of organisations such as the Directorate of Poultry Research (DPR), an Indian Council Agriculture Research (ICAR) institute, and Indian Poultry Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA).
The key stakeholders in the Indian poultry market are as follows:
a) Sneha Foods Limited, Telangana
b) Srinivasa Hatcheries (SH Group), Telangana
c) Balaji Hatcheries, Andhra Pradesh
d) V S N Hatcheries, Andhra Pradesh
e) Mulpuri Group, Andhra Pradesh
f) Venky’s (V H Group), Maharashtra
g) Suguna Foods, Tamil Nadu
h) R M Group, Haryana.
i) Skylark Foods, Haryana
j) Komarla Group, Karnataka
k) I B Group, Chattisgarh
l) Bharati Poultry, West Bengal
Pressure on sector profitability:
The following factors determine the profitability of poultry industry:
- Costs for poultry feed are expected to remain high, which is a significant concern for the farm’s profitability. High feed costs have a direct impact on production costs because they account for 60–70% of the total cost.
- The increase in the commercialization of processed chicken, egg, and meat products is affected by an improper cold chain. It is one of the reasons why poultry products cannot be transported across the nation.
- The large-scale expansion of poultry farms is also affected by power and energy shortages.
- The main disadvantage is a lack of properly trained personnel. People should participate in various programmes or courses to improve their knowledge and abilities. There must be more government and private sector training and R&D initiatives since it is a very severe issue.
- One of the major pressures on the poultry industry is a shortage of skilled labour. It has an impact on how to handle chick, growing, and adult birds properly.
- Limited financial assistance is a significant bottleneck in poultry flock propagation.
- There is little marketing of the use of poultry products.
- Less knowledge of egg and meat consumption – more promotion through various advertising agencies is also required.
- Fewer supermarkets – A proper market is necessary to ensure that things are sold out comfortably. At the moment, there are fewer supermarkets in small cities and towns. More food selling outlets should be opened.
- Inadequate quality testing laboratory facilities.
Future prospective
Substantial development in poultry output over the last decade, along with future growth potential and favourable socioeconomic variables, has made India one of the largest rising world manufacturers in this sector. The transformation of India from a largely live bird market to a chilled/frozen market is believed to be critical for expanded involvement in international commerce, where India currently has little representation. Long-term industrial drivers will be the requirement to establish an effective distribution system with major investments in cold storage infrastructure and to increase the market acceptance of frozen chicken. Other issues, such as the increased need for enhanced infrastructure, will also play an important role in determining India’s sustained position in the global poultry industry. The sector has traditionally mainly concentrated on increasing productivity, but current market demands indicate that improving distribution infrastructure, value additions, and exercising tighter control over its supply chain will be critically needed.
Dr. Munish Gangwar, Dr. Sakshi Vaishnav, Dr. B.L Saini
Poultry industry is one of the most significant sectors of agriculture. The sector has undergone critical structural changes during the last few decades due to rapid increase in income, demand and human population, urbanisation and introduction of intensive production system, genetic improvement programmes, disease control programmes and biosecurity measures in the sector. The sector offer tremendous opportunities for poultry producers to improve farm income particularly for smallholders. Poultry market is divided into broilers and layers and expansion of these subsectors offers overall increase in profitability in near future. In this article we will see the outlook for expansion of the broiler and layer industries along with future perspective.
