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BL Agri and Commodity Summit 2024: ‘Govt support to import feed can help poultry sector tap international market in a big way’.
Jan 08, 2024

India can tap the $10-12 billion poultry and eggs market overseas, if the Government allows the industry to import feed for exports, according to an industry leader.

Speaking at the panel discussion on ‘Tapping the potential of livestock sector’ at the businessLine Agri & Commodity Summit 2024 in Delhi on Friday, Suresh Chitturi, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Srinivasa Farms, said there is at least $10-12 billion food market i he Middle East with Brazil and Ukraine supplying chicken and eggs.

Terming that as a huge opportunity for India, he said: 'Typically our feed prices are high because of the minimum support price and all that. I think, if the government allows us to import feed for exports, I think that makes us on par with them and it is a huge thing.'

Huge opportunity

He said chicken from Brazil takes at least three months to reach shelves in Dubai. Whereas, India can reach Dubai in the same week.

Stating that India is not as vegetarian a country as one thinks it to be, he said not a single kilo of chicken gets wasted anywhere. Consumption is not a problem as far both eggs and chicken, and it is doubling every seven years, which is very good. 'Frankly, I don’t think you can ask for more than that,' he said.

On the production aspects, he said India is as good as anybody else in the world on the production side. But it is not good in managing the supply.

Not ‘eat milk’ society

Ranjith Mukundan, Co-founder and CEO, Stellapps Technologies Pvt Ltd, said India is a milk drinking society and still not an ‘eat milk’ (dairy products like cheese) society.

Stressing the need to simplify an otherwise fragmented supply chain, he said increase the number of cows and carry-out micro-chilling in farms could lead to decarbonisation and so on, over a 10-year horizon.

He said dairy sector is relatively more organised thanks to the co-operative movement, and opined that better quality one-on-one dairy products will happen in the long term.

On the importance of technology in the dairy sector, he said technology needs to be a supply chain concept, and not only farm facing concept.

More focus needed

KK Vijayan, former Director, ICAR-CIBA (Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture), said fisheries directly impacts the rural economy as it produces food and provides livelihood too.

Stating that India has good amount of resources in fisheries sector, he said it has around 9 million hectares of freshwater, 1.24 million hectares of brackish water resources, and around 2 lakh square km of exclusive economic zone.

Terming fish as a nutritional food, he said it is helping farmer to earn livelihood also. Since 2020, there has been more focus on fisheries sector. But it needs more focus as it is a promising area, he said.

He stressed the need to increase per capita consumption of fish, and said whatever the support system agriculture sector gets should also to be extended to this fisheries sector.

KV Kurmanath of businessline, Hyderabad, moderated the session.

The summit was sponsored by State Bank of India and co-powered by NABARD in association with National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) and INDOFIL Industries Ltd. Dhanuka Agritech Ltd and Kribhco Agri Business are associate partners. The National Stock Exchange and Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Co operative Management were the regional sponsors.

thehindubusinessline.com

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