The debate over ethanol blended petrol has spilled into Punjab’s poultry sector, with farmers claiming that the price of key poultry-feed ingredients has surged sharply over the past three months, pushing up the cost of egg production and raising fears of another increase in retail egg prices.
The sector has already gone through a difficult summer, when high temperatures and diseases among birds affected egg production. In the market an egg that was selling for around ₹ 6 in the retail market before the monsoon has already touched ₹ 7, he said, adding that further pressure on production costs could eventually be reflected in retail prices. The association represents more than 400 poultry farms in the state, he said. The increased cost of feed has pushed the production cost of a single egg to nearly ₹ 5.50, leaving farmers with limited room to absorb any further increase in input prices, according to Dango.
Arora said production remained low during the season, leading to a temporary rise in egg prices. Jasmeet Dango, president of the association, said poultry farmers across Punjab were feeling the impact of rising feed prices.
