Declare soya meal and maize essential commodities: NECC

National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), the apex body of poultry farmers of India, has appealed to the government to include Soya meal and maize as the most crucial ingredients of poultry feed in the list of essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act.

Also, it has asked to check hoarding and speculation by traders, and bring the price of these commodities to an affordable level for poultry farmers.

Thanks to rampant speculations and anticipated increase in exports, NECC says the price of Soya meal has risen from Rs 10,000/12,000 per tonne in December last year to Rs 21,000/23,000. Besides, maize was priced at Rs 600-650 a tonne in December, last year and is at Rs 1,000 per quintal now.

This unchecked price rise has raised the break-even level for egg production from Rs 0.90/1.00 to Rs 2.25. Also, the rate of broilers has gone up from Rs 27/28 to Rs 47-48 per kg.