Entry of organised players to boost poultry sector
Behavioral change by consumers has paved the way for more startups and organised players to enter poultry industry, providing consumers a wide array of brands to choose from.
India is one of the world’s largest producers of eggs and broiler meat. With the advancement in technology and improved techniques in poultry farming, the poultry industry has seen a visible transformation over the last two decades with the entry of a large number of integrated players. The sector has witnessed major investments in poultry breeding, hatching, rearing, and processing activities.
Growth drivers
With the pandemic impacting the sector adversely, there has been a good opportunity and growth in pre-cleaned, chilled and frozen poultry produce market. Consumers are slowly shifting their focus to processed meat instead of directly procuring meat from live birds. The promise from brands on hygiene and good quality had taken precedence among customers as they chose to buy meat online during the pandemic induced lockdown, with time definite deliveries. The cooking methodology in processed food is easy as the meat procured is pre-cleaned and ready to be cooked. While globally, this has been the norm, in our country this segment is now picking up. Additionally, most of the brands were open to delivering the meat at the consumer’s doorstep and this behavioral change by consumers is likely to stay for long, if not forever. This has paved the way for more startups and organised players to enter this segment, providing consumers a wide array of brands to choose from.
Dietary requirement
Nutritionists and health care specialists recommend a minimum of 180 eggs and 10 kg chicken per annum for a healthy adult human. This clearly gives a plethora of opportunity for the sector. Consumers across regions have realised the importance of poultry meat and the need for protein rich foods to be added in their daily diet. In the past, broiler chicken was considered a delicacy. But in recent years, with the increasing income levels, poultry meat has become a part of the staple diet. There has been continous demand for poultry, in comparison with fish and mutton, as the former is priced relatively lower and is available all year round.
Facing challenges
There are few challenges that have to be addressed to bridge the demand scale. For instance, there is a lack of infrastructure for storage and transportation. With the broiler industry growing at 15 per cent per annum, there is a huge demand for broiler feed. Grain supply should be revamped to meet the demand. The waste disposal from the poultry market needs to be improved by introducing new waste management practices. There are very few trained professionals in the poultry sector. Some of the veterinary institutions can start special courses on poultry management to develop the interest among youngsters. This will encourage more people to understand the poultry farming methodologies and explore avenues that would be very beneficial.
In the days to come, government authorities must intervene and have separate markets for each of the livestock. There is also a need to implement certification methods at 'butcher, processor and retailer level to ensure hygiene as consumers have become more informed and particular about the whole process involved.
Poultry industry has witnessed a lot of ups and downs and has overcome the same every year. With the economy showing positive signs of revival and consumption increasing, there is a lot of positivity and we expect the industry to bounce back and show a good growth in 2021.