Poultry

Let’s start with the basics— “Poultry” simply refers to domesticated birds raised by humans for meat, eggs, or even feathers.

This includes:

Chicken – the main player
Ducks,
Turkeys,
Geese, and
Quails.

But in India, chicken dominates, just like cricket dominates sports discussions here.

Now, within chicken itself, there are two main categories:

Broilers – grown for meat.
Layers – raised for egg production.

So, poultry is not just about one bird, but about a whole agro-industry that’s becoming a backbone of rural employment, nutritional security, and even exports.

Why is Poultry Important for India?

Let’s zoom out a bit. In a country like India where a large chunk of the population still struggles with protein deficiency, poultry offers affordable animal protein.

📊 According to the 20th Livestock Census (2019):

India has 851 million poultry birds.
Out of these, about 30% are raised in backyard systems—this is like small-scale organic farming for poultry.

➡️ Three major roles poultry plays:

Nutritional security – Eggs and chicken provide rich protein.
Employment – It’s one of the most employment-intensive agri-allied sectors.
Diversification of rural income – Especially for women and landless labourers.

So in essence, poultry is not just food, it is food, finance, and freedom for rural India.

Challenges in the Poultry Sector

Every opportunity comes with its set of obstacles. Poultry farming faces a flock of challenges:

i. Regional Imbalance

Just 5 states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal) produce over 60% of the country’s poultry.
Result? Logistics and access imbalance—prices fluctuate, and many regions remain underserved.

ii. Climate-Related Vulnerability

Poultry is highly climate-sensitive.
Recent heatwaves in southern states caused mass deaths of birds. Why? Because many poultry sheds are still open and unregulated.

➡️ Extreme temperatures = low productivity + high mortality = rising prices.

iii. Technological Backwardness

Many farms use traditional methods, lack climate-controlled sheds, and don’t follow biosecurity norms.
That’s like operating a hospital without hygiene protocols—disasters are bound to happen.

iv. Volatile Feed Costs

Poultry feed is mainly made of soybean and maize—prices of these fluctuate due to market and climate issues.
No scaled alternative protein sources exist yet.

So, poultry farmers are at the mercy of commodity traders.

v. Cold Chain and Storage Gaps

Lack of proper cold storage leads to spoilage, especially for meat.
Also, festivals or religious observances create seasonal demand dips, making supply chain planning tricky.

vi. Manpower Shortage

There’s a lack of trained veterinarians, pathologists, and poultry nutritionists.
Imagine running a hospital without doctors!

vii. Disease Outbreaks

Diseases like Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) can trigger mass culling, disrupt markets, and damage public trust.
Climate stress + poor hygiene = higher risk of diseases like:
- Newcastle Disease
- Salmonellosis
- Fowl Pox

So, poultry is like a fragile economic baby—you must handle it with scientific care.

Opportunities – Why We Should Still Bet on This Sector

Despite challenges, this is a sector bursting with potential.

Requires low capital.
Offers quick returns (broilers mature in 6-8 weeks).
Women-led poultry cooperatives are thriving in many tribal regions.

📊 India’s Global Position (2022-23 data):

Top 3 in egg production (after China & USA).
Top 5 in chicken meat production.
136.5 billion eggs, 4.8 million tonnes of poultry meat produced.
Per capita egg availability: now 81 eggs/year, up from 55 (according to BAHS 2023).

And yes, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is even making an entry—some commercial farms now use AI to monitor bird health!

Government Interventions

To support this sector, the government has launched:

National Livestock Mission – infrastructure and breed development.
National Action Plan for Egg & Poultry (2022) – disease control and export focus.
PMKVY Rural Skill Development – to train technical manpower.
Rashtriya Gokul Mission – though mainly for cattle, it overlaps in breed innovation efforts.

Also, poultry aligns with:

SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth

So poultry isn’t just a bird business—it’s a nation-building tool.

🎯 Final Takeaway

Poultry is not just about raising chickens. It is about raising aspirations—for farmers, for nutrition, and for a self-reliant agricultural economy.

If we invest in climate-smart infrastructure, veterinary support, and rural training, India can become not just an egg-producer, but a model for sustainable poultry development.