The Hindu Business Line : Poultry

FOR an industry that is said to be 5,000 years old, it is in the last few decades that the poultry sector has begun to witness tremendous growth. In fact, very few sectors in the country can rival it in terms of growth.

For the last couple of decades, the industry has been registering an annual growth of 12-15 per cent. Definitely, the growth is the fastest among any meat sector in the country. In a country where every household looks to various innovative means to improve income and cut expenditure, poultry animals are grown in the backyard too. That's one reason why getting accurate statistics about the sector has always been a problem.

Still, the industry and other organisations such as the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the US Department of Agriculture have been able to make an assessment based on various factors, including feed consumption. The Indian poultry sector is the fourth largest producer of eggs. It is estimated to produce 3,000 crore eggs annually. In broiler production, the country is eighth in the world. Broiler output is projected to be 100 crore that can yield about 7.5 lakh tonnes of poultry meat. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab account for 50 per cent of the country's poultry production. The sector is estimated to offer employment to at least 10 crore people and accounts for nearly three per cent of the gross national product. It contributes to 10 per cent of the gross domestic product or roughly a little over Rs 2,000 crore to the nation's economy.

Organised sector

The organised poultry industry, which has witnessed good growth in the last two decades, is estimated to have invested Rs 6,500 crore, employing 15 lakh people. The organised sector produces 500 crore eggs and 45 crore broilers annually. In the last couple of years, India has been making headway in exports, primarily targeting nearby countries and West Asia. During April-November of the current fiscal, poultry exports totalled Rs 157 crore against Rs 166 crore during the same period a year ago.

Last fiscal, poultry exports, including products, earned Rs 256.91 crore against Rs 253 crore the previous year.