Maize comprises 60 -70 per cent of the feed for poultry farmers. In the last 20 days, farmers said that the export buzz had prompted traders to hoard maize because of which prices have increased from Rs 6 per kg to up to Rs 9, in turn causing production costs to soar. “Futures trading of maize had also added to our woes with traders procuring maize from farmers at lower rates and selling them back to poultry farmers at a high cost,” said NECC Vice chairman, Pune Zone, Raju Bhosale.

With soya bean prices also at an extraordinary high, despite surplus production, poultry farmers fear that if maize exports are allowed, their businesses will become unviable.

V N Khedkar, city-based contract farmer, AMBRO Poultry Pvt Limited said that broiler farmers were already making a loss.

“The production cost have touched Rs 40 per kg while the traders are not giving us more than Rs 34 per kg at the whole sale rate. We are losing Rs 6 per kg already,” he said.

With 160 farmers under its belt, the company uses 1,000 metric tones for its consumption. One kg of broiler requires two kg of maize. After a day-old chick is procured at Rs 13, farmers have to feed it four kilogram of maize for 40 days before it gives 2 kg broiler meat. The feed involves 75 per cent maize and 25 per cent.

Despite excess soya bean production this year, prices have shot up instead of coming down because of exports. With the current soya bean costing another Rs 17.50, poultry feed has shot up to Rs 30 per kg, excluding cost of medicines, electricity, labour etc.

“Christmas and New Year are the peak seasons for poultry farmers with the demand highest for eggs and meat.

Now, we are just about there with making a margin of 6 paise, with our cost of production touching Rs 1.70 and the traders paying us Rs 1.76,” said a Pune-based ‘layer’ farmer, who did not wish to be named. “With the approaching summer seasons, when there is little demand for poultry products, our losses will be extreme if maize exports are allowed,” he said.

In view of this condition, the NECC has called for the ban of maize exports. According to the NECC, the price of maize has increased steeply over the previous year, which is unprecedented in the last 35 years of the poultry industry.