Having been hit hard by the recent bird flu crisis, the poultry industry with over five lakh farmers, is now undergoing transformation through the ?organic? way. Thanks to the crisis, which has helped the industry to get attention from the governments which has forced the industry to adopt standards in the rearing practices. The industry, with a few key players such as Venkateshwara Hatcheries, is now eyeing the ?organic? chicken market and as a first step, has started to export the same to the European market.
According to industry sources, there is a huge demand for organic chicken in the export markets. While no artificial proteins or chemicals are used, these products have just found their way to the European market, though the quantities are less in numbers. Moreover, it was also mandatory for the exporters to send their consignments which are free from any kind of residues.
??We are seeing a huge potential for organic products in the western markets, however, the domestic market is also catching up the momentum,?? an industry source said. Incidentally, exports are looking up this year from Rs 580 crore with an expectation of 20% growth this year.
New markets such as South Africa, Middle East, Japan and Far East markets are throwing up opportunities for the Indian players, the source added. Further, value-addition to the poultry products is another factor which has caught the attention. The technological advancement and competitiveness in production with cost arbitrage is creating opportunities in the world trade system. According to K Narayana Reddy, president, Andhra Pradesh Poultry Federation (APPF) the processing segment of the poultry production is estimated to grow 25% per year even while the consumption growth and production is expected to grow more than 7% per year. According to available estimates, the country?s current egg production is about 47.4 billion eggs and 2.25 million mt of poultry meat which is likely to grow to 75.6 billion eggs and 5.21 million mt of poultry meat by year 2012. Andhra Pradesh leads in total country?s egg production.
