Indian Scenario

Feed manufacturing on a commercial and scientific basis started around 1965 with the setting up of medium-sized feed plants in the northern and western India. Feed was produced mainly to cater to the needs of dairy cattle. The poultry sector was not developed at that time and was restricted to backyard production in about 29.43 million tones, which represents only 3 percent of the total global.

Compared with the rest of the livestock sector, the poultry industry in India is more scientific, better organized and continuously progressing towards modernization. Breeding and feeding management has improved through education, training, competition, expansion and survival instincts. India is the world ′s fifth largest egg producer, with a total production of 40 billion eggs per year. The broiler industry is growing at the rate of percent per annum.

India has 150 millions layers and 650 millions broilers. Annual per capita consumption of eggs is 40, and that of broiler meat is 1000 g. Although these figures are low in comparison with those for developed countries, the industry has great potential to extend because 30 percent of the country′s population (about 300 million people) is developing economically and the demand for poultry is therefore likely to grow.

The Poultry industry has witnessed several ups and downs in the last 25 years as a result of unplanned growth and a lack of government regulation. Currently, it is growing at the rate of 10 percent in broilers and 6 to 7 percent in layers and is going through a phase of integration in broilers which is likely to change the face of industry. Although the phenomena is new, it is expected that there will be very rapid change towards integration as more farmer find the increasingly difficult to run farms with marginal profits or negative margins. The Poultry industry is very modern, with pure-line breeding, the latest vacancies and medicines, environmentally practices, chicken processing, exports of hatching eggs and excellent feed quality.