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Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India today. While the
production of agricultural crops has been rising at a rate of 1.5 to 2 percent per annum, that of eggs
and broilers has been rising at a rate of 8 to 10 percent per annum. As a result, India is now the
world's fifth largest egg producer and the eighteenth largest producer of broilers. Driving this
expansion are a combination of factors - growth in per capita income, a growing urban population
and falling real poultry prices.
In the context of this emerging scenario, questions are being raised about the impact of the scaling
up of production-through structural factors, externalities and policies-on small-scale producers. Do
the transaction costs, policy distortion and environment externalities place the small-scale producer
at a disadvantage? Why do some poultry farms have higher income than others? Do large farms
earn more profit per unit of output than small ones? What explains the differentials in profitability?
This report *, which forms part of an ongoing international comparison study on poultry, seeks to
address these questions. It attempts to assess the impact of policy and environmental factors on the
scale of poultry operations in India as well as the implications of that impact for small-scale
production. The study aims to collect and analyze consistent data.
* See Mehta R., Nambiar R. G., et.al., itLivestock Industrialization, Trade and Social -
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Health Environment Impact in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Indian Poultry
Sectorle, (Mimeo) Phase I project report submitted to IFPRI, May 2002.
The report is organized into eight chapters. Chapter 1 provides a short review of the poultry industry
in India - how it has grown over the past two or three decades, the structure of the industry, changes
in the scale of operations, and so on. Chapter 2 discusses the objectives and scope of the study,
along with hypotheses to be tested. Chapter 3 provides details about data and survey, focusing on
survey location, sample size, timing of the survey, and problems encountered. In Chapter 4 the
approach for estimating efficiency and scale economies is reviewed. Chapter 5 then presents data
based on analyses of sample information about the accessibility of sample units to information,
accessibility to assets, technology, production practices, environment, and marketing. These results
are followed by estimates of mass balance results in Chapter 6. The empirical results based on
application of the model outlined in Chapter 4 are discussed in Chapter 7. Finally, conclusions and
policy discussions follow in Chapter 8.
1.9 Exports
Exports of poultry products from India comprise table eggs, meat, live birds and value-added
products such as egg powder and frozen yolk. The value of aggregated exports was Rs. 1,683
million in 1996-97. Exports were expected to reach the level of Rs. 5 billion by the year 2000.
1.10 Employment
Three decades ago, when egg and broiler production was 10 billion and 30 million, respectively, the
total employment numbers in the poultry sector were not so encouraging. As income and
employment in the crop sector started diminishing, the non-crop sector, which includes dairy and
poultry, underwent a significant shift. With the demand for poultry increasing and production reaching
37 billion eggs and 1 billion broilers, this sector now employs around 1.6 million people. At least 80
percent of employment in the poultry sector is generated directly by these farmers, while 20 percent
is engaged in feed, pharmaceuticals, equipment and other services required by the poultry sector.
Additionally, there may be a similar number of people roughly 1.6 million who are engaged in
marketing and other channels servicing the poultry sector.
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1.11 Issues Relating to Animal Welfare and Environmental Pollution
Issues relating to animal welfare and environmental pollution by poultry units have been of increasing
concern in developed countries such as the U.S. and the European Union (E.U.). But in India these
issues have not yet emerged as critical although they are discussed at length in various seminars
and forums on poultry production. Considering globalization and the international trade in poultry
products, however, these issues may assume significance in a few years because of pressures
from importing countries such as those in the E.U.
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Source: Mehta, et.al. (2002)
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Source: Mehta, et.al. (2002)
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Source: Mehta, et.al. (2002)
[58] The contents of this chapter are drawn from an earlier study by the authors. See Mehta R, Nambiar R. G.,
et. al.. op.cit.
[59] The contents of this chapter are drawn from an earlier study by the authors. See Mehta R, Nambiar R. G.,
et. al.. op.cit.
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