A sharp rise in maize prices has driven up poultry feed costs in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, one of India's largest egg-producing hubs, leaving farmers grappling with higher expenditure and tightening supplies of a critical feed ingredient. The price of maize has surged from roughly ₹22 per kg to ₹33–₹34 per kg — an increase of approximately 50–55% — significantly straining farm economics across the district.

Why Maize Prices Have Surged

Poultry farmers in Namakkal attribute the spike to reduced supplies from key maize-growing belts, including Attur, Pethanaickenpalayam, and Kallakurichi, which traditionally supply the district's feed mills. Inadequate rainfall in these cultivation zones, compounded by the broader effects of El Niño on agricultural output, has sharply curtailed the quantity of maize reaching the market.

The shortfall has tightened procurement channels for farmers who depend on steady, high-volume purchases to sustain daily feed production — an operational necessity that cannot be deferred.

Why Maize Is Indispensable to Poultry Farming

Maize and soya are the two principal ingredients in commercial poultry feed. Maize alone accounts for more than 40% of feed composition, making price volatility in the grain a direct and significant driver of overall farm costs. Beyond nutrition, maize also influences the colour of egg yolks — a quality attribute that poultry producers and consumers both regard as a marker of freshness and feed quality.

An adult bird consumes roughly 110 grams of feed daily, of which nearly 55 grams consists of grains, predominantly maize. With large flocks requiring uninterrupted feeding, there is no practical scope for farmers to cut back on procurement, even as prices climb.

Financial Impact on Namakkal Farmers

The price jump from ₹22 to as much as ₹34 per kg represents an additional outlay of up to ₹12 for every kilogram of maize purchased. At the scale at which Namakkal's farms operate — the district is among the country's largest poultry production centres — this incremental cost compounds rapidly across thousands of birds and millions of eggs.

Higher maize expenditure cascades directly into the cost of preparing poultry feed, which in turn raises the per-unit cost of egg production. Farmers say the combination of constrained supply and elevated prices has made it significantly harder to manage daily operations without absorbing losses.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

This comes amid wider concerns about weather-related disruptions to agricultural supply chains across southern India. Namakkal's egg output has national relevance — the district supplies eggs to multiple states — meaning a sustained cost squeeze here can ripple into retail egg prices across the country.

Industry representatives are closely monitoring the next cropping cycle in maize-growing regions. A recovery in rainfall and a return of adequate supply could ease prices, but as long as El Niño conditions persist, procurement uncertainty is likely to remain a challenge for the sector.