Egg prices crash, chicken rates soar in Telangana amid West Asia crisis

Telangana’s poultry industry is facing losses as egg prices crash below production cost due to export disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict. Meanwhile, chicken prices are rising sharply due to reduced supply and seasonal weather impacts on poultry.

Hyderabad: The Telangana poultry industry is reeling under the twin blows of US-Israel-Iran war and the State’s dry weather conditions. While the Middle-East crisis has choked exports and crashed egg rates, the local seasonal changes of the Deccan plateau have sent the chicken prices soaring. At present, the prices of eggs have plummeted to a loss-making Rs 4.20, while the rates of chicken have skyrocketed to Rs 335 per kilogram.

On February 18, 2026, 100 eggs in Hyderabad were sold at Rs 520, with each egg priced at Rs 5.20. However, since then, the cost has nosedived Rs 420, with each egg costing Rs 4.20, on March 18.

---

The egg prices, as per the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), started to drop as the US-Israel and Iran war commenced on February 28, when 100 eggs were priced at Rs 470. This price dropped to Rs 450 on March 1 and further to Rs 420 on March 5, and has remained the same since then.

As for the retail, each egg retailed between Rs 7.50 and Rs 8 in the first week of February. This price has now dropped to Rs 5. In the wholesale market, prices came down to Rs 4.50 per egg a fortnight ago to Rs 4 at present.

However, the poultry farmers have continued to spend Rs 5.20 towards production cost per egg in the State, which translates to Rs 520 for the 100 eggs tray, leaving them with losses due to price crash.

Telangana produces 3.5 crore to 3.7 crore eggs daily, which is 10 per cent of the entire country’s production. While Telangana consumes half of its production, the remaining is sent to other States in the country.

“Eggs are exported to West Asia from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu. Due to the US-Israel and Iran war, the export has taken a serious hit and the local Namakkal poultry farmers are clearing their production at a lower cost. So, the cost of eggs produced in Telangana has also come down,” a NECC Hyderabad official told ‘Telangana Today’.

On the other hand, chicken prices are soaring in the State, with a kilogram of skinless Chicken in Hyderabad costing around Rs 320 to Rs 335. The country chicken is even costlier, with a kilogram priced at Rs 750. Last month, one kilogram of chicken was priced at around Rs 175 and Rs 200.

One of the reasons for such soaring prices is attributed to reduced poultry supply, besides seasonal changes, which is impacting the birds, leading to their deaths.

According to the Telangana Poultry Federation, broilers are prone to diseases and cannot withstand seasonal changes. “With onset of the summer season, birds eat less and grow up to 1.5 to 1.75 kg, which is less than their normal weight. During winter, when birds feed well, they grow to around 2 to 2.5 kg. Due to birds’ death and supply taking the hit, a kilogram of chicken is being sold around Rs 320 in the retail market,” said K Mohan Reddy, president of Telangana Poultry Federation.