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India's egg trade wobbles as bird flu hits exports
Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:07pm IST
By Biman Mukherji
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India, the world's second largest producer of eggs, has seen about a 50 percent drop in exports in the past two weeks as an outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal has undermined confidence, trade officials said.
United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among a clutch of neighbouring countries that have banned egg imports from India.
"We have suffered 150 million rupees of losses on commercial egg exports alone for the last two weeks only," said Prasanna Pedgaonkar, deputy general manager of Venkateshwara Hatcheries, the country's largest poultry group.
He estimated India's total export losses at 700 to 800 million rupees.
Bird flu has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts and authorities in the communist-ruled state said they were culling sick chickens in a private farm about an hour's drive from Kolkata.
Consumption of eggs in Kolkata, estimated at 5 million per day, has fallen to negligible levels, said Vasant Kumar, chairman of India's livestock industry association.
Over 2 million birds have already been culled in West Bengal, but authorities say they will slaughter thousands more.
Officials say that while chicken sales in the state have fallen those in the rest of India have recovered after an initial wobble when the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu was first announced.
"In the last three to four days, the consumption (outside West Bengal) has come back with a bang," said Balram Yadav, chief executive officer of Godrej Agrovet, a large producer of processed chicken.
India consumes about 40 million birds a week. West Bengal alone accounts for about 15 percent.
Yadav said prices of chicken have gone up to about 30 rupees to 35 rupees a kg recently after initially falling to 20 rupees in the country's west in the wake of the disease outbreak.
Sales of soymeal, used as an animal feed, are likely to be impacted marginally, industry officials said.
"The bird flu can have some impact on the consumption of soymeal, but it will be restricted mainly to West Bengal districts," said B.V. Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India.
India consumes about 150,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes a month.
Domestic corn buyers have said it is too early to assess whether bird flu would impact the local demand, which has been growing year by year because of the poultry industry.
http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-31677420080130?rpc=401&
Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:07pm IST
By Biman Mukherji
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India, the world's second largest producer of eggs, has seen about a 50 percent drop in exports in the past two weeks as an outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal has undermined confidence, trade officials said.
United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among a clutch of neighbouring countries that have banned egg imports from India.
"We have suffered 150 million rupees of losses on commercial egg exports alone for the last two weeks only," said Prasanna Pedgaonkar, deputy general manager of Venkateshwara Hatcheries, the country's largest poultry group.
He estimated India's total export losses at 700 to 800 million rupees.
Bird flu has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts and authorities in the communist-ruled state said they were culling sick chickens in a private farm about an hour's drive from Kolkata.
Consumption of eggs in Kolkata, estimated at 5 million per day, has fallen to negligible levels, said Vasant Kumar, chairman of India's livestock industry association.
Over 2 million birds have already been culled in West Bengal, but authorities say they will slaughter thousands more.
Officials say that while chicken sales in the state have fallen those in the rest of India have recovered after an initial wobble when the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu was first announced.
"In the last three to four days, the consumption (outside West Bengal) has come back with a bang," said Balram Yadav, chief executive officer of Godrej Agrovet, a large producer of processed chicken.
India consumes about 40 million birds a week. West Bengal alone accounts for about 15 percent.
Yadav said prices of chicken have gone up to about 30 rupees to 35 rupees a kg recently after initially falling to 20 rupees in the country's west in the wake of the disease outbreak.
Sales of soymeal, used as an animal feed, are likely to be impacted marginally, industry officials said.
"The bird flu can have some impact on the consumption of soymeal, but it will be restricted mainly to West Bengal districts," said B.V. Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India.
India consumes about 150,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes a month.
Domestic corn buyers have said it is too early to assess whether bird flu would impact the local demand, which has been growing year by year because of the poultry industry.
http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-31677420080130?rpc=401&
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