Poultry Feed Costs Drive Up Egg and Chicken Prices

Prices of eggs and chicken have gone up because the cost of poultry feed has increased.

This is due to a shortage of soybean meal and higher demand for maize from ethanol manufacturers.

The prices of poultry feed have risen by 15%, which makes up 65% of the cost of producing broiler chicken.

In Delhi, the price of live-weight broiler chicken has gone up from Rs 90/kg to Rs 140/kg, and retail meat prices have increased from Rs 240/kg to Rs 300/kg.

Egg prices have also risen by 12% year-on-year.

The supply of soybean meal is short by 1.5 million tonnes, and the area where soybean is sown has decreased by 4.5% compared to last year.

Maize prices have also gone up, affecting the production cost of chicken meat and eggs.

Higher bird mortality and cooler temperatures have also contributed to the increase in egg prices.