(India) With demand surging for broiler meat and eggs, India's poultry sales are likely to be over USD 26.8 billion by 2015, India's Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Assocham said. Growing at about 20% annually, the domestic poultry market is estimated to be about USD 9.9 billion, said Assocham in a study titled 'Trends In Domestic Poultry Segment'.
"Driven by rising purchasing power, changing food habits, contract poultry farming and rapid urbanisation are certain key reasons for this constant upswing in this niche poultry sector," said Assocham Secretary General D. S. Rawat while releasing the study.
"But sporadic bird flu outbreaks in different parts of the country along with lack of storage and processing facilities and rising prices of feed stocks including soymeal and maze have severely hit the poultry exports," said Rawat.
Maze accounts for over half of total production cost of poultry feed and the poultry sector consumes over 50 per cent of total maze production in the country. Broiler meat and table eggs account for most of the domestic poultry market as India is the third largest egg producer and fourth largest broiler meat producer in the world. Besides, the Indian poultry sector has shifted from a live-bird market to a chilled/frozen-product market.
Source: Indian Express
