All is not well at Namakkal, the famed poultry hub of India, with the volume of export of eggs falling drastically by over 50 per cent in the last three years.

IBN Live reports that severe curbs imposed in the Middle East on import of eggs from India after the bird flu threat during 2008-09 and competitive pricing by exporters in the US has badly hit the egg export business in Namakkal.

The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC, Namakkal unit) statistics speak for themselves. While during 2007-08, the volume of egg exports here stood at 1.2222 billion eggs; the figure dipped to 1.0479 billion eggs the following year. During 2010-11, the downslide was alarming with just 5.352 billion eggs being exported.

Business in the current financial year is not encouraging. In April, the egg export volume stood at 45.343 million eggs and dipped to 33.062 million units in May. It shrank further to 17.948 million eggs in June. Last month witnessed a slight improvement with 27.395 million eggs being exported.

Dr Senthil, director of Kauvery Poultry Products Ltd in Namakkal said: "Even though the WHO had withdrawn the ban on poultry products within 90 days, some Middle East nations continue to restrict imports from here."

S. Rajendran, manager (operations) for VKS Exports said that the egg export market in the Middle East was once spread across the UAE, but now restricted to one or two Arab countries. Business was also being impacted adversely as exporters in the US and Holland offered eggs at a much cheaper price.

Dr Senthil added: "We are unable to match the competitive pricing as the cost of labour, land, poultry feed and raw materials are on an upswing."

According to IBN Live, All India Poultry Exporters Association secretary, P. Valsan said: "The Centre should send an official team consisting of personnel from the animal husbandry department and industry representatives to countries where the ban is still in place and address their fears. The government must continuously follow this up till the ban is lifted."