Chicken prices plunge as heatwave hits AP poultry sector

Vijayawada: The intense heatwave sweeping across Andhra Pradesh has dealt a severe blow to the state’s poultry industry, leaving farmers in distress as hundreds of chickens reportedly died due to extreme temperatures over the past few days. The sudden spike in bird deaths has forced many poultry farmers to sell their stock at throwaway prices, resulting in a sharp fall in chicken prices across the market.

The retail price of broiler chicken, which stood at nearly Rs 320 per kg on May 15, plunged to around Rs 190 per kg on Sunday, causing concern among poultry farmers already struggling with mounting losses.

Andhra Pradesh is home to nearly 25,000 poultry farms, while around 3.2 lakh people depend directly or indirectly on the poultry sector for their livelihood. The state also occupies a prominent position in the country in egg and meat production. However, poultry farmers say the summer season has become increasingly difficult in recent years.

With temperatures touching 42 to 45 degrees Celsius in several parts of the state, poultry farms have witnessed a sharp rise in heatstroke-related chicken deaths. Farmers from several regions, including areas around Vandanadi, reported heavy losses over the past week.

Facing continuous losses, many farmers are now planning to sell off their remaining stock quickly and temporarily shut down operations for nearly a month before resuming during the rainy season.

“The situation has been extremely difficult for poultry farmers for the last two years. Earlier, we suffered losses due to disease outbreaks, and now extreme heat is killing the chickens. At the same time, chicken feed prices have increased sharply. It has become impossible to continue business under such conditions,” said Ranganath Yadav, a poultry farmer from Mylavaram.

Meanwhile, poultry traders warned that the large-scale chicken deaths could soon impact egg prices as well. According to the AP Poultry Traders Association, the price of an egg, currently around Rs 5.50, may rise to nearly Rs 8 by the second week of June due to falling poultry stock.