Rising Costs, Supply Disruptions, and Electricity Problems Put Farmers and Feed Industry Under Severe Pressure
Nagpur (Lalit Lanjewar):
India’s poultry industry appears to be heading toward a serious crisis due to extreme heatwaves, rising temperatures, power outages, diesel shortages, and growing international tensions. Temperatures in several states have already reached 45°C to 48°C, making it increasingly difficult for poultry farmers to maintain farm operations.
The impact is being widely felt across poultry farmers, integration companies, feed manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, transport sectors, and raw material traders. Industry experts warn that if electricity supply, fuel availability, and raw material logistics do not improve in the coming days, chicken and egg production in the country could be severely affected.
Odisha Incident Raises
Nationwide Concern
A recent incident in Malkangiri district, Odisha, where more than 5,300 chickens reportedly died at a poultry farm due to a power failure, has shocked the poultry sector across the country.
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| Photo source NDTV |
According to reports, an unexpected electricity outage disrupted cooling pads, exhaust fans, ventilation systems, and water supply at the farm. Due to the intense heat, temperatures inside the poultry shed rose rapidly, leading to severe heat stress and suffocation, killing thousands of birds within hours.
Reports suggest that insufficient diesel availability prevented the proper operation of generators, worsening the situation. Industry experts see this not as an isolated incident but as a warning sign for poultry farms nationwide.
Poultry Farms Heavily Dependent on Electricity During Summer
Poultry experts explain that modern poultry farms are highly dependent on electricity-based systems during summer. Continuous operation of cooling pads, high-speed exhaust fans, fogging systems, tunnel ventilation, drinking systems, and automatic feeding systems is essential to maintain stable temperatures inside poultry houses.
Birds experience significantly higher heat stress during hot weather. Experts warn that even 10–15 minutes of ventilation failure can lead to breathing difficulties, and within a few hours, mortality can rise drastically.
If power outages increase further, experts fear major risks for broiler, layer, breeder, and hatchery farms across India.
Diesel Crisis Deepens Industry Concerns
Concerns over fuel availability are also rising in many parts of the country. Poultry operators and farmers report difficulties obtaining diesel in drums, cans, or containers, making generator operations increasingly challenging.
Farmers say that during summer, diesel generators act as a life-saving backup system. In the event of power failure, generators become the only option to protect birds from heat-related deaths. However, disruptions in diesel supply could make farm management extremely difficult.
Rising diesel prices have already increased transportation and operational costs, affecting feed delivery, live bird transport, chick supply, medicine distribution, and overall farm operations.
International Tensions Affecting Indian Poultry Sector
Industry analysts believe that escalating tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, along with instability in the Middle East, are indirectly affecting India’s poultry industry.
Particular concern surrounds the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route located between Iran and Oman through which a major portion of the world’s crude oil supply passes. Any disruption in this route could sharply increase global crude oil prices.
Such developments would directly impact fuel prices, transportation costs, gas, and industrial expenses in India, placing additional pressure on energy-dependent sectors like poultry.
Feed Industry Faces Double Pressure
Poultry feed manufacturers are already operating under severe pressure. Prices of essential raw materials such as soybean DOC, maize, oils, amino acids, vitamin premixes, minerals, feed additives, packaging materials, and plastic granules continue to rise.
Industry stakeholders say that international tensions, dollar volatility, rising import costs, and increasing logistics expenses are making feed ingredients more expensive.
As a result, feed companies are repeatedly forced to increase prices, creating friction between farmers and dealers. Many poultry farmers are struggling to afford expensive feed, while companies claim shrinking margins and increasing financial losses.
Amino Acids, Medicines, Vitamins, and Supplements Becoming Costlier
The prices of poultry medicines, vitamins, liver tonics, probiotics, antioxidants, electrolytes, and immunity boosters are also rising.
Since many raw materials used in these products are imported, disruptions in the global supply chain are affecting both availability and pricing. Small and medium poultry farmers are expected to face the biggest burden, as production costs continue to rise.
Costs Rising but Chicken and Egg Prices Remain Stable
Poultry analyst Lalit Lanjewar says that costs related to diesel, electricity, feed, medicines, transportation, labor, and farm maintenance have increased sharply over the past few months. Additional spending on cooling systems during summer has further raised production costs.
However, market prices of chicken and eggs have not increased proportionately, reducing farmers’ profit margins significantly. Many small poultry farms are already facing financial distress.
In several states, small poultry farmers continue operating at a loss. If conditions persist, thousands of small poultry farms may face closure in the coming months.
Integration Companies and Supply Chain Also at Risk
The growing fuel crisis may affect not only farmers but also large integration companies, hatcheries, feed mills, processing units, live bird markets, and chicken distribution networks.
Disruptions in truck and cargo movement could affect chick supply, feed transportation, live bird movement, and finished chicken distribution. If the situation worsens, shortages of chicken and eggs may emerge in markets, potentially leading to a sudden increase in consumer prices.
A Bigger Crisis Ahead?
Experts believe that if extreme heat, electricity shortages, fuel supply disruptions, and international tensions continue for an extended period, India’s poultry industry could face substantial economic losses.
The consequences may extend beyond farmers, impacting the availability, pricing, and overall supply chain of chicken and eggs nationwide.
As India remains one of the world’s largest poultry-producing countries, experts emphasize the urgent need for timely policy interventions and crisis management measures to protect the poultry sector.
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