Exports of poultry products such as eggs and egg products, which crossed the ₹1,000 crore mark in the first nine months, are set to scale to hit a new record of ₹1,200 crore to ₹1,400 crore in the current financial year 2023-24 on strong demand from countries such as Oman and Sri Lanka among others.

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India’s poultry exports had touched a high of ₹1,081 crore ($134.04 million) during 2022-23, doubling over the previous year’s ₹529.8 crore ($71 million) on rising demand for eggs and egg products among others. In the first nine months of the current fiscal, the poultry exports stood at ₹1,074 crore ($134.02 million).

Shipment volumes till end of December stood at 8.56 lakh tonnes over previous financial year’s 6.64 lakh tonnes.

Exports of eggs to Sri Lanka have witnessed more than a 100 fold increase in value terms in the first nine months with the neighbouring nation emerging as the second largest buyer of Indian poultry products. Value of poultry products exported to Sri Lanka stood at ₹117.19 crore till December end in the current fiscal as compared to ₹98 lakh during 2022-23. In volume terms, the shipments to Sri Lanka stood at 1.69 lakh tonnes till December end in current fiscal over previous year’s 1,416 tonnes.

Exports to Oman, the largest buyer of Indian poultry products stood at ₹293.90 crore in the current fiscal till December as compared to ₹277 crore in 2022-23. Other countries that saw an increase in poultry shipments till end-December include Japan at ₹82.91 crore (₹57.77 crore in 2022-23) and Qatar at ₹63.38 crore (₹51.60 crore) among others.

Valsan Parameswaran, Secretary, All India Poultry Exporters Association, said robust demand from countries such as Sri Lanka and Oman among others is driving the exports. “We expect the overall exports this year to be between ₹1,200 crore to ₹1,400 crore,” Parameswaran said.

Besides robust demand, the growing quality awareness among the farmers and the trade is also contributing to the growing trend, Parameswaran said, while stressing upon the need for creating additional infrastructure such as a dedicated quality laboratory in the main producing region of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

Mahesh P S, Joint Commissioner and Director, Centre of Excellence for Animal Husbandary, Bengaluru, said going forward, the poultry exports will increase both in chicken meat and eggs.

“The focus on quality poultry products at competitive prices will increase the pie. New states joining the bandwagon of South India’s poultry hub are West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab etc. India being driven by primary choice in the global arena in this millennium, finds partners for poultry too and next year’s target may be ₹2,000 crore,” Mahesh said.

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Parameswaran said the Indian exporters are also witnessing demand from African countries, but transportation and realisations were an issue. Also there is a rare opportunity from Russia that’s likely to open up for the Indian products, he said.

Indian poultry exports, which stood at ₹768 crore ($117.42 million) in 2015-16 had subsequently touched a six year low of ₹435 crore ($58.70 million) during 2020-21 only to rebound in the past three years.

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