Supplying 15M eggs to Qatar, India's Namakkal district to overtake Turkey

Hosting a high-stakes international tournament like the FIFA World Cup is no mean feat, and host Qatar is pulling all strings to make the 2022 edition a smooth success. It is now looking towards India to fulfil the high demand for eggs as the number of visitors from around the world entering the small Arab nation has quadrupled.

Since November 20, Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district has seen a significant inflow of funds from Qatar and other GCC countries as the region will be exporting over 1.5 crore (15 million) eggs to the hosting nation—marking an over 2X increase in the export of eggs from the region.

Speaking about this, Tamilnadu Poultry Farmers Association president K Singaraj told YS Gulf, "While we are anticipating a significant rise (in imports) from Qatar, touching over 1.5 crore eggs, this month we are seeing a significant increase in demand from the Middle Eastern region. These include Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain, along with Iran, Iraq, and Maldives."

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Namakkal putting Turkey behind

While Turkey has been the primary supplier of eggs to Qatar, a significant chunk of the exports have gone to Namakkal due to the increase in production costs. Also, the war between Russia and Ukraine has affected the latter's exports, and Turkey's production costs have also shot up amid hyperinflation. 

The retail price of eggs in Tamil Nadu has increased significantly due to the increased exports to Qatar. As a result, egg producers in Namakkal expect a good profit this year. 

PV Senthil, one of the egg exporters, said,

“Poultry farmers in Namakkal can earn up to 25 paisa per egg from eggs exported to Qatar. We expect orders to continue to increase until the football matches in Qatar are over. As the orders may come on a weekly basis, depending on the demand for eggs, new orders are likely to come next week.” 

Poultry farmers in Namakkal have the capacity to increase production to meet any demand from the export market, Senthil added.

Moreover, the egg producers are also trying to improve the production capacity of their poultry farms as the region is suitable for brown egg production to meet the demand in Europe. The exporters have said that they will be able to meet the demand for eggs not only in Qatar but also in other countries. 

Poultry farmers are hopeful that egg consumption will pick up in the next three months with the onset of winter and demand in Qatar will push up egg prices significantly. Poultry owners and exporters say they are delighted with the growing demand for eggs from the Namakkal district as the price per box is cheaper compared to $6 per box they import from Turkey.

(This article has been updated to correct the name of the President of the Tamilnadu Poultry Farmers Association)