September 14, 2010

Indian chicken consumption on the rise

Indians' appetite for poultry is increasing fast, in tandem with their growing income on the back of robust economic expansion at the rate of about 8%, the Poultry Federation of India (PFI) said.

Per capita consumption of chicken, which is 2.4kg at present, is set to rise to 3.0kg per person annually soon, PFI spokesman Ricky Thaper said.

Thaper noted that consumption of chicken was less than 2kg per person five years ago.

Tamil Nadu is the country's leader in terms of broiler meat consumption. Against the national per capita consumption, the average citizen in the southern state consumes 4.1kg of chicken per year, he added.

Earlier this month, Bangladesh lifted the ban on imports of day-old broiler and layer chicks and also eggs from India. The move was to break the monopoly of some big companies in the country's poultry sector and also to meet the country's increasing demands, according to reports.