December 10, 2012

Kerala, India sees 51% rise in egg output

Egg output in the Indian state of Kerala has risen during the past five years, showing a 50.55% increase, according to statistics.

Total egg production has gone up during 2010-2011, said V.Sunil Kumar, managing director of Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation Ltd's (KEPCO). He attributed the increase to the various schemes rolled out by KEPCO and complementary initiatives like the introduction of better poultry breeds.

Kerala's growth rate is 10.85% compared to the 5.76% national average. Chicken population in the state also has gone up during the past five years during 2010-2011, according to KEPCO.

However, most of the increase in production is concentrated in the rural areas of the state, one reason why cities like Thiruvananthapuram faced acute egg shortage when the daily imports from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were stopped following the bird flu scare in Hessarghatta, Bangalore. Lately, KEPCO has also been concentrating in the urban areas with projects like 'Nagarapriya,' Sunil Kumar said.