BELAGAVI
While the consumption of eggs in Goa, Karnataka and areas across the Border States has increased, the lockdown has affected the broiler chicken sales as the consumption of these in Belagavi and Goa region has dipped causing huge loss to the poultry industry.
Belagavi region supplies about 15,000 birds to Goa daily. The supply of eggs comes from the layer farms in Dharwad, Ballari, Gadag, Hubbali, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg.
While the layer farmers have benefitted due to the rise in consumption of eggs, the poultry farmers from Belagavi region are suffering huge losses as the rates of chicken have also dipped.
The owners of broiler farms across the region have been demanding relaxation in timing for chicken shops and restaurants due to the helplessness to recover huge losses incurred.
Speaking to The Goan, leading poultry industrialist and director of Kwality Feeds & Belchick brand, Belagavi, a major supplier to Goa, Sanjeev Deshpande, said that the sale of eggs has increased by about 20 per cent across Karnataka and Goa, but at the same time sale of broiler chicken has dipped sharply ever since the lockdown was announced by both the states.
“Chicken is normally sold in hotels and restaurants that have been closed. Takeaways are just 15 to 20 per cent of the normal sales. Moreover, the limited time given for chicken shops to operate during the lockdown has also affected the sale of chicken,“ Deshpande said.
In normal times we send about 7000 birds to Goa daily, but the demand has come down to just 2500 birds due to which we are incurring huge losses. The cost of poultry feed including other costs have increased, whereas the sales have dipped due to which the poultry industry is incurring heavy losses. This has also resulted in the closure of many poultry farms in Belagavi region, Deshpande said.
Chicken being the staple food, authorities should seriously think of relaxing the timings of the chicken shops and also the restaurants, Deshpande said voicing the demand of several poultry farmers in Belagavi region.
