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At a time when the domestic poultry industry is reeling under rising input costs and lower demand owing to the austere season, the rise in prices of pulses has come as a blessing in disguise.
Prices of commonly used pulses such as tur dal, urad and moong have doubled over the last year as poor rains pushed domestic output lower.
In fact, tur dal prices in some places have even touched ₹200 a kg. This skyrocketing prices of pulses might help the poultry industry in terms of increased demand for eggs, which are rich in protein, experts said.
Switch over to eggs“The demand for animal proteins is likely to go up as they are more easily digestible and economical in value compared to pulses,” OP Singh, Core Committee Member of Poultry India, an industry advisory body told BusinessLine . “Though the poultry sector is plagued by rising costs of feed (of which corn and soyameal are important ingredients), eggs will still be affordable for the BPL households,” he added.
Recently, Poultry India conducted awareness campaigns in Telangana regarding protein deficiency among the masses, asking people to choose eggs as a healthy alternative to pulses.
Sources at the National Egg Co-ordination Committee also confirm the trend of people switching over to eggs from pulses to meet their daily protein requirement.
Despite the ongoing austere or festive season, and a slight dip (by 5-7 per cent) in consumption in rural centres owing to drought, egg prices are seeing a slow and steady rise, partly due to lower production.
Prices edge upBenchmark egg prices in Namakkal, the hub of the poultry trade, are ruling at ₹3.18 apiece against ₹2.95 a week ago, according to NECC.
The average price per 100 eggs in Namakkal for October is ₹300.90 against ₹306.07 the same period last year.
Egg outputProduction at Namakkal for August 2015 was 301.87 lakh (321.06 lakh in the same month last year), while feed price for August 2015 was ₹1,500.35 per 75-kg bag (₹1,473).
NECC sources said the rise in consumption will impact prices.
The peak consumption season for eggs is set to begin with the onset of winter and usually goes on till March.
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