The New Indian Express reports that under the terms of the agreement between Hy-Line and Srinivasa Hatcheries - one of the leading poultry breeding players in India - the latter will act as the exclusive distributor for the US firm’s commercial layers in India.

Hy-Line will supply grandparent layer chickens to Srinivasa Hatcheries and the latter will process and develop them further to supply to poultry farmers in India.

"Right now, the per capita consumption of eggs in India is 65 while in countries like Japan it is 330. The per-capita consumption of eggs is set to rise as GDP rises.

"There will be a huge growth in consumption and demand of eggs in the future. Advanced technology of Hy-Line will help us in coming up with high-yielding quality layer birds.

"Also, the birds will consume less feed, thereby decreasing the cost on the one hand and increasing productivity for poultry farmers on the other," said Suresh Rayudu Chitturi, vice-chairman and managing director, Srinivasa Group.

He added that Srinivasa Group will be investing about Rs 300 crore over the next two to three years for developing processing plants and other facilities to breed layer birds.

"The Indian market is tough and we need time, commitment and deep pockets to get a hold here. By tying up with Srinivasa Group, we will leverage their strengths and will emerge as a key player even in India,| stated Jonathan Cade, president of Hy-Line.

Meanwhile, Srinivasa aims to grow its supplies by 10-fold over the next 10 years.