Poultry leaders push for fixed live chicken price amid rising feed costs

Poultry industry leaders from across the country want to set a benchmark price of ₹110 per kg for live chicken to deal with recent price swings and high input costs. They made this decision at a high-level meeting in Hyderabad on Monday, November 2, 2026. Representatives from the All India Poultry Breeders Association, the Pan India Breeders Coordination Committee, and several State poultry associations attended the meeting to talk about the problems facing the sector. Industry leaders noted that the drop in chicken prices was mostly seasonal because people ate less meat during the festival period. They told stakeholders not to panic about these temporary price drops. Participants also pointed out that maize prices are going up due to shortages linked to El Niño weather conditions, which makes it more expensive to produce poultry. To help lower feed costs, the leaders called for duty-free imports of non-genetically modified maize. They also noted that soybean is easily available in the market. Key figures at the meeting included AIPBA chairman Bahadur Ali, PIBCC convenor Vasanth Kumar Shetty, and Telangana Poultry Breeders Association president A. Tirupathi Reddy. These leaders plan to meet government policymakers in New Delhi next week to discuss their demands and other challenges.

Context

Poultry farming relies heavily on animal feed, with maize and soybean making up a large part of the cost of raising broiler chickens. Weather events like El Niño often disrupt crop production and drive up grain prices, which puts financial pressure on farmers when market prices drop.