The Hindu Business Line : `No immediate cause for concern in South'

However, traders fear that the industry could be hit because of the panic reaction in the markets as people may choose to stay away from poultry products.

According to Mr A. Mohan Reddy, Zonal Chairman, NECC (National Egg Coordination Committee) Chennai Zone, the market reaction would become apparent over the next two days. Chennai consumes about 35-40 lakh eggs a day, and the prices have held steady since Saturday at about Rs 1.35 an egg. But the impact, if any, would manifest itself in the coming week.

This zone decides the egg prices for the northern districts of Tamil Nadu and influences the prices in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh - Chitoor and Nellore - which supply about 50 per cent of Chennai's consumption. The local production is about 3 lakh eggs and the balance is sourced from Namakkal or other production centres in Andhra Pradesh depending on the price. The association is keeping a close watch on the developments in the consuming centre as they have an impact on the farmer, he said.

According to Mr G. Pugazhendi, Secretary, Poult and Poulterers Association, dealing in poultry meat, the reports of the specific strain of virus that has infected the farm in Maharashtra are yet to come in. But there has been some panic caused by the media reports. The meat trade was, however, going on smoothly.

Trade sources say that the South is a self-contained market with no movement of poultry products from Maharashtra or other States further North. Some eggs come into Chennai from the neighbouring districts in Andhra Pradesh.

keeping a close watch on the developments as the farmers would be primarily affected due to financial loses. If the authorities decide to cull the birds in a farm - even assuming that the Government pays a compensation of Rs 40 a bird - the losses would be huge.

The farmer spends over Rs 80 on each chick in the first 20 weeks up to the stage it starts producing eggs. The chick produces eggs over the next 56 weeks and culling it at any stage could break a farmer, he said.

Tamil Nadu produces about 2.5 crore eggs a day and it supplies to Kerala about 25-30 lakh eggs, exports about 25 lakh eggs and processes into egg powder about 10 lakh eggs. The quantity of eggs that moves out is more or less compensated by arrival of eggs from adjoining districts of Chittoor and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai, he said.

According to a trade source in Karnataka, the monitoring and surveillance system was stringent in Karnataka.

More Stories on : Poultry | Health | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Consensus on irrigation projects needed: AP CM

Coonoor tea prices surge

Prices firm up at Kochi tea auction

Bullish trend in NY cotton futures

Sales of eggs, chicken drop on bird flu reports — Maharashtra to cull nine lakh birds

Experts, industry cry fowl over Govt flip-flop

`Tamiflu being stockpiled'

9 lakh chickens to be killed in Maharashtra

Pharma cos buck up; busy lining up drugs

`No immediate cause for concern in South'

Poultry - a growing sector

Andhra Pradesh initiates several preventive steps

Pepper prices rule steady