Egg prices ease in Shravan as feed inflation deepens poultry-farmer losses

Seasonal demand softness pushed wholesale egg and broiler prices lower, while feed costs—65-70% of production expense—have risen 40-60%. Lower hen retention and chick placements could tighten supply and support a post-Shravan price recovery.

— Source publishedTue, 25 Aug, 2026, 09:30 IST·First seen Tue, 25 Aug, 2026, 09:37 IST·Source BL · Consumer & Economy

What happened

Indian poultry industry · Indian egg and chicken prices eased during Shravan due to weaker seasonal and export demand, but poultry farmers face losses as feed

Key facts

  • Broiler chickens: ₹90-95/kg wholesale ex-farm during Shravan
  • Eggs: ₹6-6.50 per piece wholesale ex-farm
  • Namakkal egg price: ₹5.20 on Monday, versus ₹5.90 at the start of the month and ₹6.80 in mid-July
  • Farmers lose ₹0.50-0.60 per egg
  • Feed costs rose 40-60%
  • Feed represents 65-70% of poultry production costs
  • Soybean meal rose about 25% in one month earlier this year
  • Maharashtra egg production cost: ₹5.20-5.50, versus ₹4-4.50 earlier
  • Indian poultry industry value: $30 billion
  • Industry employment: over 6 million
  • India poultry meat output: 11 million tonnes
  • Annual egg output: 149 billion
  • Layer bird population: 400 million
  • Per-capita egg consumption: 106 annually
  • Per-capita chicken consumption: 7.4 kg annually

Why this matters

Sustained losses among smaller farmers may create opportunities for integrated poultry players to expand supply partnerships or acquire distressed capacity before tighter future availability lifts realizations.

What to watch

  • Weekly Namakkal and other benchmark wholesale egg prices, especially a sustained move above ₹6 per egg.
  • Layer-hen retention, culling rates, chick placements and hatchery order volumes over the next 4-12 weeks.
  • Maize, soybean meal and other feed-input prices, which represent roughly 65-70% of poultry production costs.
  • End of Shravan demand recovery, festival-season consumption, institutional buying and QSR/bakery order trends.
  • Broiler price movement relative to egg prices, signaling broader poultry-sector supply stress.
  • Government actions on feed imports, maize availability, livestock support or food-inflation management.
  • Lock in staggered egg and broiler procurement contracts before post-Shravan demand normalization, while avoiding full-volume purchases at potential seasonal lows.
  • Expand promotions and private-label positioning in substitute proteins such as pulses, dairy and soy products to protect traffic if poultry prices rebound.
  • Review bakery, prepared-food, mayonnaise, confectionery and QSR menu economics for egg-cost sensitivity; predefine pass-through thresholds.
  • Increase supplier monitoring in key poultry clusters, especially indicators of layer culling, chick placement reductions and farm payment stress.
  • Use current lower egg prices selectively for traffic-driving promotions, but avoid building long-duration pricing commitments that assume continued deflation.

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