Over the past nine years since state formation, the annual egg production has risen by over 65% from 1,061 crore in 2014-15 to 1,767 crore in 2022-23, as per the data from the state planning department's report 'Telangana at a glance 2023'. But the industry is finding it tough to keep pace with its increasing capacity as local consumption has been stagnant and there is stiff competition in other states.

With a share of 13%, Telangana occupies the third spot in the country behind Tamil Nadu (22%) and Andhra Pradesh (16%).Rise in egg consumption can only save business

The state produces about 3.7 crore eggs daily and out of this 1.7 crore goes to other states, mainly Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

The consumption within the state is half an egg per person daily. Though this is within the NIN recommendation, it is not a healthy figure for the egg industry. Growing the domestic market is a herculean task, industry sources said.

In some states daily egg production is merely in lakhs. But these states too have set targets to increase their daily production to crores. This may be good for the country but for the state it is a clear sign that it has to expand the domestic market. This means that consumption has to increase," said an industry source.

According to animal husbandry department officials, commercial poultry eggs constitute a large part of production and backyard poultry accounts for only a minor portion. The other avenue is the international market. But only Tamil Nadu has the required infrastructure and it is exporting it to West Asia, industry sources said.