India’s poultry industry is shifting its focus firmly toward domestic consumption rather than exports, citing high production costs and an untapped local market.
Speaking at the curtain raiser for the 17th Poultry India Expo (Nov 25–28, Hyderabad), former Animal Husbandry Secretary Tarun Sridhar said,
“Export is not an end in itself. If my product gives me more value in the domestic market, why should I export?”
Despite being the world’s 2nd-largest egg producer and 4th or 5th in meat production, India ranks only 25th–26th in egg exports.
Per capita chicken consumption stands at 6–7 kg/year, and egg consumption at 103 eggs/year, according to Naveen Pasuparthy, President, Karnataka Poultry Farmers & Breeders Association (KPFBA).
“We have 1.43 billion protein-deficient citizens. Why will I want to export?” Pasuparthy added.
Industry officials pointed to high feed costs as the key barrier to global competitiveness:
- Corn costs ₹23–25/kg in India (vs ₹14/kg in major exporting nations)
- Soybean meal is ~30% costlier domestically
- Feed makes up 80–85% of total production costs
Divya Kumar Gulati, Chairman of CLFMA, said India’s production costs are ₹25–30 higher per kg compared to other exporters, mainly due to restrictions on genetically modified (GM) crops.
Experts stressed that unless India invests in modern processing infrastructure, cold-chain logistics, and export-friendly hygiene standards, large-scale poultry exports will remain unviable.
Gulati suggested Export Processing Zones with duty-free imports as a potential path forward.
Meanwhile, countries like the US see India as a growing import market due to competitive international pricing.