Curbs in Middle East hit Namakkal egg exporters

NAMAKKAL: All is not well at Namakkal, the famed poultry hub of India, with the volume of export of eggs falling drastically by over 50 per cent in the last three years. Severe curbs imposed in the Middle East on import of eggs from India after the bird flu threat during 2008-09 and competitive pricing by exporters in the US has badly hit the egg export business in Namakkal. The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC, Namakkal unit) statistics speak for themselves. While during 2007-08, the volume of egg exports here stood at 12,222 lakh eggs; the figure dipped to 10,479 lakh eggs the next year. During 2010-11, the downslide was alarming with just 5,352 lakh eggs being exported. Business in the current financial year is not encouraging. In April the egg export volume stood at 453.43 lakh eggs and dipped to 330.62 lakh units in May. It shrunk further to 179.48 lakh eggs in June. Last month witnessed a slight improvement with 273.95 lakh eggs being exported. “Even though the WHO had withdrawn the ban on poultry products within 90 days, some Middle East nations continue to restrict imports from here,” pointed out Dr Senthil, director, Kauvery Poultry Products Ltd, Namakkal. S Rajendran, manager (operations), VKS Exports said that the egg export market in the Middle East was once spread across the UAE, but now restricted to one or two Arab countries. Business was also being impacted adversely as exporters in the US and Holland offered eggs at a much cheaper price. “We are unable to match the competitive pricing as the cost of labour, land, poultry feed and raw materials are on an upswing,” Senthil said. All India Poultry Exporters Association secretary P Valsan said “the Centre should send an official team consisting of personnel from the animal husbandry department and industry representatives to countries where the ban is still in place and address their fears. The government must continuously follow this up till the ban is lifted,” he said.