<p>Bengaluru: The West Asia conflict has sent shockwaves through Karnataka’s poultry industry, as a sudden halt in exports to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has left local markets flooded with surplus stock and farmers staring at mounting losses. </p>.<p>Prasanna N, general secretary of the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA), said that the impact had been severe. <br></p><p>“West Asia is a major importer of poultry. Previously, over 50 lakh hatching eggs were exported to Oman and Kuwait per month from Karnataka alone. Those sales have now dropped to zero,” he told DH. </p>.Karnataka: Two injured in knife attack over trivial issue: two arrested.<p>The sudden stoppage has resulted in a monthly loss of Rs 5-6 crore for the industry, with a loss of roughly Rs 14 per hatching egg. </p>.<p>While approximately 70-80 containers were shipped just before the war began, rumours of those shipments being returned have unsettled the market. </p>.<p>The cessation of international trade has forced export-quality stock back into the domestic market, creating a massive supply-demand imbalance.</p>.<p>In Karnataka, major egg-producing districts such as Mysuru, Kolar, Vijayanagar, Davangere and Koppal are seeing massive unsold stocks. </p>.<p>Table egg prices in the local market have plummeted after February 28 from Rs 6 to 4 in some areas within a month. In Bengaluru, the wholesale price fell from Rs 5.5 to Rs 4.8. </p>.<p>Prasanna warned that the situation was a race against time. “Table eggs have a shelf life of only 10-15 days. If the export block continues for another week, prices will crash further as stocks begin to spoil, leading to catastrophic losses for small-scale farmers,” he added. </p>.<p>Street vendors and hoteliers have also significantly reduced their poultry intake. </p>.<p>“I used to sell 10kg of chicken leg pieces every evening, but now I buy only 5kg. I’ve switched to a small electric stove for heating, but you can’t fry chicken on that,” says a street vendor.</p>.<p>“We stopped buying mutton entirely this week. Mutton takes much longer to cook than chicken. We’ve also cut our daily chicken and eggs order by 50%. Making a huge handi of biryani requires hours of high flame. Without a steady gas supply, we can’t take risks and compromise on our quality.” </p>.<p>With chicken meat exports also at a complete standstill and sales hit by a slowdown in the hospitality and street food sectors, the poultry sector is now looking toward government intervention or a swift resolution of tensions to prevent a total industrial collapse.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The West Asia conflict has sent shockwaves through Karnataka’s poultry industry, as a sudden halt in exports to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has left local markets flooded with surplus stock and farmers staring at mounting losses. </p>.<p>Prasanna N, general secretary of the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA), said that the impact had been severe. <br></p><p>“West Asia is a major importer of poultry. Previously, over 50 lakh hatching eggs were exported to Oman and Kuwait per month from Karnataka alone. Those sales have now dropped to zero,” he told DH. </p>.Karnataka: Two injured in knife attack over trivial issue: two arrested.<p>The sudden stoppage has resulted in a monthly loss of Rs 5-6 crore for the industry, with a loss of roughly Rs 14 per hatching egg. </p>.<p>While approximately 70-80 containers were shipped just before the war began, rumours of those shipments being returned have unsettled the market. </p>.<p>The cessation of international trade has forced export-quality stock back into the domestic market, creating a massive supply-demand imbalance.</p>.<p>In Karnataka, major egg-producing districts such as Mysuru, Kolar, Vijayanagar, Davangere and Koppal are seeing massive unsold stocks. </p>.<p>Table egg prices in the local market have plummeted after February 28 from Rs 6 to 4 in some areas within a month. In Bengaluru, the wholesale price fell from Rs 5.5 to Rs 4.8. </p>.<p>Prasanna warned that the situation was a race against time. “Table eggs have a shelf life of only 10-15 days. If the export block continues for another week, prices will crash further as stocks begin to spoil, leading to catastrophic losses for small-scale farmers,” he added. </p>.<p>Street vendors and hoteliers have also significantly reduced their poultry intake. </p>.<p>“I used to sell 10kg of chicken leg pieces every evening, but now I buy only 5kg. I’ve switched to a small electric stove for heating, but you can’t fry chicken on that,” says a street vendor.</p>.<p>“We stopped buying mutton entirely this week. Mutton takes much longer to cook than chicken. We’ve also cut our daily chicken and eggs order by 50%. Making a huge handi of biryani requires hours of high flame. Without a steady gas supply, we can’t take risks and compromise on our quality.” </p>.<p>With chicken meat exports also at a complete standstill and sales hit by a slowdown in the hospitality and street food sectors, the poultry sector is now looking toward government intervention or a swift resolution of tensions to prevent a total industrial collapse.</p>