India’s Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) convened a roundtable on May 14 with poultry and meat industry leaders to accelerate sector growth. The session was chaired by Secretary Avinash Joshi (Indian Administrative Service) and Joint Secretary Preet Pal Singh, and coordinated by Under Secretary (Integrated Cold Chain/Infrastructure & Processing) Ajay Raj Singh Chauhan.
The meeting aimed to identify constraints limiting the sector’s potential and to explore solutions through structured dialogue. Discussions focused on:
Representing poultry producers, Ricky Thaper, Joint Secretary of the Poultry Federation of India, emphasized the export potential of processed chicken if production costs become globally competitive. He noted soybean meal prices have surged to USD 0.80/kg (INR 77), and that the continuous rise in prices is creating severe pressure on poultry, dairy, aqua, and fish farmers.
He added that feed manufacturers are struggling to absorb rising costs, which have already pushed chicken prices higher. Industry representatives urged a market-linked mechanism for GM soybean meal imports to protect both livestock farmers and soybean growers.
Naveen Kumar Pasuparthy stressed that poultry, diary and aqua farming relies heavily on grains from crop farmers. Animal agriculture and processing thus deserve greater recognition. He proposed the development of more food parks dedicated to poultry, sheep, and aqua processing, alongside a reduction in vitamin import duties from 30% to 5% to ease feed costs.
Saurabh Nagpal recommended MoFPI support for awareness campaigns promoting chilled and processed chicken products. Varun Reddy suggested special schemes for large-scale processing plants requiring investments above USD 41.8 million (INR 400 crore).
Stakeholders appreciated MoFPI’s effort to engage directly with industry leaders. They noted that continued dialogue will be essential to address rising input costs, strengthen processing infrastructure, and unlock India’s export potential.
Subscribe now to the poultry technical magazine
AUTHORS
Setting the Global Standard for Soy
Isa Tan
Importance of Eggshell Temperature, Checking and Record Keeping in a Commercial Poultry Hatchery
Rasel Ahmed
The Reality of the South African Egg Industry
Abongile Balarane
Mycoplasmosis update: Antimicrobial Resistance, Vaccines, and Control Challenges
Edgar O. Oviedo Rondón
Future Flock: Antibiotic-Free Solutions for a Rising Population
Dr Ahmad Safi Dr. Faran Hameed
Interview Dr. Nivin Nasser
Dr. Nivin Nasser
Disinfection of Fertile Broiler Breeder Eggs
Edgar O. Oviedo Rondón
Precision Matters: Tackling Quality Issues in on‑Farm Vaccination
Jaime Sarabia Fragoso Kevin Gandon Pascal Paulet
Process Control: 30 Specific Aspects to Evaluate from Pre-Slaughter to Slaughter
Eduardo Cervantes López
Ishikawa Diagram Applied to Processing of Chickens
Eduardo Cervantes López
