AP Poultry profits despite bird flu scare

The broilers (meat) segment of poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh, which markets on an average 1.8 crore birds a month, closed balance sheets for the financial 2006-07 with a profit of Rs 159.72 crore, after offsetting a loss of Rs 26.28 crore incurred this year.

If the loss of Rs 85 crore (revised) caused by bird flu scare in the previous year (2005-06) is deducted from this year's profit, it would be a net profit of Rs 74.72 crore for the segment.

G Bucha Rao, a spokesman of Andhra Pradesh Broiler Farmers' Association, said they incurred losses in three months and recorded no-loss-no-profit in one month during 2006-07.

Besides, the cost of broiler production escalated due to unprecedented rise in the prices of chick and maize, the main feed ingredient for the poultry.

He said farmers were saved by increasing broiler rates in the market: Rs 20 per kg in April, Rs 30 per kg in May, Rs 36 per kg in June and July, Rs 26 in August, Rs 25 in September, Rs 29 in October, Rs 32 in November, Rs 40 in December, Rs 35 in January, Rs 40 in February and the year's highest price of Rs 43 in March.

He said the segment, carrying a headload of Rs 85 crore loss of 2005-06, continued to drown in a further loss of Rs 13.68 crore in the first month of 2006-07 (April).

However, the industry turned around and made Rs 10.8 crore profit in May, Rs 28 crore profit in June and Rs 32 crore profit in July.

The industry again landed in losses for two months: Rs 5.4 crore loss in August and Rs 7.2 crore loss in September. Though farmers earned a profit of Rs 9 crore in October, they went through no-loss-no-gain in November.

But December, January and February fetched them profits of Rs 27 crore, Rs 16 crore and Rs 28 crore respectively. Farmers pooled up the maximum profit of of the year Rs 34 crore in March, last month of the year.