Costlier feed lifts chicken to ₹300/kg and eggs 12% as poultry inflation builds
A 15% year-on-year rise in poultry feed costs, driven by pricier soybean meal and maize, is pushing up protein prices. Delhi retail chicken is around ₹300/kg versus ₹240/kg a year ago, while average egg prices have risen 12% to ₹86.98 a dozen. Elevated prices may persist in coming weeks.
What happened
Indian poultry sector · Rising soybean meal and maize costs, heatwave-related production disruption and bird mortality have lifted Indian egg and chicken
Key facts
- Poultry feed prices rose 15% year-on-year to Rs 4,400/quintal from Rs 3,600/quintal
- Feed accounts for 65% of broiler production costs
- Delhi farm-gate broiler prices rose to Rs 140/kg from Rs 90/kg year-on-year
- Retail chicken prices rose to around Rs 300/kg from Rs 240/kg
- Estimated soybean meal shortage: 1.5 million tonnes
- Soybean sowing declined 4.5% year-on-year to 10.6 million hectares
- Maize prices rose to Rs 27-Rs 28/kg from Rs 18-Rs 19/kg in April
- Average retail egg price rose 12% year-on-year to Rs 86.98/dozen
- Delhi-NCR egg farm-gate prices rose 26% to Rs 6.11/piece from Rs 4.83/piece
- Poultry sector annual growth: 7%-8%
Why this matters
The feed-cost shock strengthens the case for investments or partnerships in poultry integration, feed supply, soybean meal, and maize sourcing to secure margins and supply.
What to watch
- Weekly wholesale and retail prices for maize, soybean meal, broiler chicken and eggs across major mandis and Delhi NCR.
- Monsoon progress, acreage and crop-condition updates for maize and soybean.
- Poultry farm margins, chick placements, layer and broiler mortality, and indications of flock culling or reduced placements.
- Government decisions on maize, soymeal or feed-input import duties, stock limits and food-inflation interventions.
- Retailer promotional intensity and volume trends for eggs, chicken, pulses, paneer and plant-protein substitutes.
- Restaurant menu price changes and quick-commerce search or order trends for eggs and chicken.
- Grocers and quick-commerce platforms may raise prices on fresh chicken, eggs, marinated poultry and ready-to-cook meal kits, while using targeted discounts to retain basket traffic.
- Private-label and value retailers may promote pulses, soya chunks, paneer, frozen fish and lower-priced poultry cuts as protein substitutes.
- Restaurants, cloud kitchens and caterers may shrink portion sizes, add egg or chicken surcharges, or reformulate menus toward vegetarian and mixed-protein dishes.
- Poultry integrators may reduce chick placements or delay flock expansion if feed costs compress margins, increasing the risk that supply stays tight even if consumer demand softens.
- Food inflation pressure could broaden into prepared foods, bakery products, mayonnaise, noodles and other categories using eggs or poultry inputs.