December 20, 2022

 

Kerala, India chicken enterprise hits 100 retail outlets

 

 

 

Kerala Chicken, a Kudumbashree enterprise launched to grab a pie of the broiler chicken business in Kerala, India, has crossed a milestone of 100 retail outlets.

 

Kerala Chicken was launched at the end of 2017 to supply safe-to-eat chicken at a lower price. It was estimated that only 10% of the actual domestic demand of chicken was met from within Kerala. The Kudumbashree's mission was to strengthen broiler chicken production and marketing network so that it could cater to at least half the domestic demand.

 

The project, which was implemented in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts, recently added its 102nd counter. As many as 272 women chicken farmers have been part of the project, which delivers 24 tonnes of chicken to the market daily.

 

This month, the project expanded to Palakkad where the Kudumbashree plans to open 40 chicken farms and 20 Kerala Chicken outlets. It is expected that four tonnes of chicken will be sold in the district every day through these outlets.

 

Twenty-two farms have opened in the first phase.

 

Next month, Kerala Chicken will begin supply in Malappuram. The project will then be expanded to two more districts, taking the number of districts where Kerala Chicken has a presence to 10. Kudumbashree said a unique selling proposition of Kerala Chicken is traceability of poultry meat.

 

The Kerala Chicken farms are entrusted only to Kudumbashree members or their families. After an evaluation of the farm and approval, the Kudumbashree Broiler Farmers Company Ltd. (KBFCL) that unifies all support systems for production, marketing and sale of chicken under the Kerala Chicken brand enters into an agreement with the farmer. Day-old chicks, feed, medicines and vaccination are provided to the farmers and in 40-45 days, the birds are bought back and transported to the Kerala Chicken outlets.

 

Although the Kudumbashree had been planning to launch value-added products, it only recently got approval for setting up a processing plant in Thiruvananthapuram after a feasibility study was conducted. Procedures for setting up the plant are in the initial stages.

 

It has also entered into an agreement with Kerala Feeds for supplying feed to the chicken farmers.

 

- The Hindu