Concerned about rising corn prices, NECC is calling on the government to allocate damaged wheat and rice for use in poultry feed
Concerned about rising corn prices, NECC is calling on the government to allocate damaged wheat and rice for use in poultry feed
The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), the governing body of poultry farmers, made up of more than 25,000 members, mostly smallholder and marginal farmers, has appealed to the Indian government to allocate at least 2 million tonnes of damaged wheat, rice and/or broken rice to the unfit for human consumption for use in poultry feed as a partial substitute for corn, the price of which has skyrocketed and is causing difficulties for farmers.
NECC said in a statement that the price of corn has increased significantly over the past year for various reasons beyond the control of farmers. These include increased export volume and the diversion of significant amounts of corn for biofuel production in Bihar, a key corn-producing state.
The price of corn in the domestic market has risen from ₹18,000 per ton to currently about ₹25,000 per ton and is expected to rise further to ₹30,000 per ton, NECC said.
“As a result of this spike in the price of corn, the average cost of production has risen from £4 an egg last year to £4.75-£5 now. However, the average farm gate price is hovering around £3.50 per egg, resulting in a net loss of between ₹1.50 and ₹1.75 per egg for farmers,” said NECC.
Unable to withstand such continuous losses, thousands of smallholders and small farmers and even breeders have already closed or suspended or shut down their operations, it said.
“Most farmers and breeders are on the verge of bankruptcy,” it said.
“Under these circumstances, the partial substitution of corn with other cheaper raw materials is the only viable option to help farmers maintain their livelihoods and to ensure that eggs and chickens continue to be available to the poorer sections of the consumer at a affordable price,” it said.
