Poultry sector faces heat in Andhra Pradesh despite price rise

Time of India

10-05-2025

Visakhapatnam: The price of chicken is on the rise in state after weeks of slump, owing to the prevailing summer conditions. Currently, live broiler chicken is being sold at Rs 140 per kg, while dressed chicken is available for Rs 260 per kg in the market.
Despite the uptick in prices, the poultry industry continues to grapple with sustainability issues, having faced heavy losses during bird flu in this February, and the ongoing challenges such as mounting production costs and adverse weather.Broiler chicken growers in various parts of Andhra Pradesh have expressed reluctance to continue in the business. Even with retail prices of skinless dressed chicken touching Rs 260 per kg, poultry farmers are selling live birds for only Rs100-110 per kg. This has made the sector less lucrative.K Srinu, a poultry farmer in Vizag city and broiler chicken association representative for north coastal AP, told TOI that chicken prices have increased by roughly 20% state-wide in the last week. The surge is being credited to a demand-supply mismatch, with high temperatures reducing production."We have been incurring losses for the past few months due to bird flu in Feb, 2025 and lower prices during March and April. We anticipate that chicken price may further rise in the coming days due to the widening gap between demand and supply, and poultry farmers might finally make some profits," Srinu said.The poultry farmer added that if poultry farmers received at least Rs 130 per kg for live birds, the trade would become profitable for them. Meanwhile, country chicken (naati kodi) growers are reportedly earning good profits. Due to high demand and limited supply, they are selling live birds for for Rs 700-800 per kg, said G Ramu Naidu, a poultry farmer from north AP.Eggs and broiler chicken are also expected to become more expensive in the coming days as hot weather continues to affect output. Sk Husain, a meat trader, explained that higher production costs and the impact of the recent bird flu outbreak, which prompted many to leave chicken farming, are contributing to the anticipated price hike."This summer, eggs have become costlier. The hot weather leading to less production of eggs has resulted in a price hike. On Saturday, the retail price was Rs 6.5 per egg," he added."Chicken was considered an ordinary person's nutritious food, but it will become costlier in the coming days," said V Ganesh, a chicken lover.