Chennai,  The prices of eggs in Tamil Nadu have soared, even touching Rs 6 per egg in many parts of the state. Namakkal, the egg capital of South India, has cut short its production from 6 crore eggs per day to 5 crore as fodder prices have gone up significantly.

R. Ramesh Babu, of Southern Star Egg Farm, Namakkal, told IANS, "The prices of fodder have increased more than 30 per cent and has put immense strain on the farmers. We are not even able to touch our break even cost if prices are not hiked."

The hike in fodder prices has forced many poultry farmers to close down some sheds to reduce expenses.

Surulinathan, a poultry farmer of Namakkal told IANS, "The price hike helps us tally out other expenses in the market. To produce a single egg, we invest around Rs 4.80 to Rs 5.10 and this cost is without our transport charges, labour, vaccination, and electricity."

He said that he owned more than 1 lakh chickens and have now sold over 30 per cent of them. Surulinathan said that more than 40 per cent of farmers of Namakkal have sold their chickens to stay afloat in the industry.

With the Namakkal district egg farmers cutting down the production of eggs per day by one crore, there is a shortage of eggs also as a large volume of these eggs is sold to Kerala and Karnataka.

Fifty lakh eggs per day from Namakkal district are sent to Tamil Nadu noon meal scheme. Farmers said that only by hiking the egg price to Rs 6 will they reach a point of profit and hence the hike in prices.

Vangli Subramanian, President of Tamil Nadu Egg Poultry farmers marketing society told IANS, "The hike in price of fodder has broken the backbone of our industry. Before the Covid pandemic lockdown, the fodder price was Rs 18 to 20 per kg but now it has risen to Rs 30 to 32 per kg. This huge rise in fodder prices has led us to increase the price of eggs as, without a hike, it will lead to the total shut down of the industry which we cannot afford to."