Small poultry farmers in Namakkal, claiming significant financial losses, have submitted a petition to the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) demanding greater transparency in egg procurement pricing.
Currently, the NECC announces a daily procurement price for poultry farmers in the region. However, farmers argue that this price setting lacks transparency, as traders often approach them with their own prices, pressuring farmers to sell their eggs at reduced rates. This situation is causing financial strain, particularly for small-scale farmers who rely on daily egg sales to fund the next day’s feed purchases.
Farmers also voiced concerns that institutions with contracts for supplying eggs to the mid-day meal scheme are attempting to procure eggs at lower rates. Similarly, exporters are demanding export-quality eggs at reduced prices, leading to further financial losses for local farmers.
A key issue highlighted in the petition is the practice by traders of reducing the price of large-sized eggs and imposing arbitrary deductions under terms like ‘minus’. This results in farmers being forced to sell eggs at unfair prices, undermining their already fragile economic situation.
The petition calls for the NECC chairman to declare the egg procurement price for farm eggs in a clear and transparent manner, emphasizing that the price should not merely serve as a suggested rate. The farmers also demand that the procurement price for large-sized eggs be set above the cost of production, ensuring that farmers can at least cover their expenses. Additionally, they request separate pricing for eggs sold to mid-day meal schemes and exporters.
The petition urges the NECC to make public the list of officially recognized egg procurement traders in the Namakkal zone, giving farmers better access to fair pricing and ensuring they are not taken advantage of in the procurement process.
The farmers’ rallying cry is clear: they seek a more transparent and equitable pricing system to protect their livelihoods and the integrity of the poultry farming industry in the region.
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