Chicken price crashes by up to 50%, egg 35%

Farm gate chicken prices have crashed between a quarter and a half in different states in the last fortnight. The fall has been the sharpest in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, where the ex-farm rates are down from ₹115/kg to ₹60/kg in Maharashtra and ₹50/kg in Jharkhand.

Prices fell because of the advent of the month of Shravan in North India, when many give up meat eating, a fall in consumption due to high prices and an increase in bird weight as weather cooled due to widespread rains forcing farmers to sell such birds.

"Farm gate chicken prices have come crashing down during the last fortnight from ₹115/kg to ₹60/kg, which is below the cost of production. The fall in prices is sharp and more than expected in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, where the month of Sharvan is yet to begin," said Vasantkumar Shetty, convener, The Poultry Breeders' Association of India.Poultry integrators said the demand from north India, where the month of Shravan began from July 15, has reduced significantly. They also believe that the overall consumer demand declined due to the high prices in June.


While the industry is puzzled by the earlier-than-expected and pan-Indian fall in prices, factors like change in weather have also impacted the trend.

Egg prices too have taken a hit of 30-35% across various cities.