Ajmer, July 23: The poultry industry at Ajmer in Rajasthan is hit hard by inflation.

Due to the increasing cost of poultry feed, it has become very difficult for the poultry farmers to run their business as they are facing severe losses.

Poultry farmers complain that the feed cost has increased two to three times in the past three to four months while the price of eggs have not increased in that ratio.

According to farmers, production cost per egg in today''s scenario amounts to one and a half rupee while it is sold for less than one rupee in the wholesale market.

"Inflation has affected our business in a big way. The poultry feed has become very costly. The price has increased two to three times. The price of poultry products has increased only by 25 per cent whereas the price of poultry feed has increased by 50 per cent. The poultry business is going through tough times," said Chandra Prakash, owner, Indra Poultry Farm.

Poultry farmers at Ajmer, one of the country''s biggest egg production centre, have demanded that government should subsidize poultry feed.

In Ajmer, there are 20,000 families dependant on poultry farm business. On an average, Ajmer produces 21,0000 eggs per day from 24,0000 birds.

Ajmer till recently used to stand second in poultry business in northern India next to Barwala town in Punjab and as the number one egg production centre in northern India. But inflation has severely affected more than 300 poultry farms in the area.

According the National Egg Coordination Committee report, more than 150 poultry farms have been shutdown in Ajmer and thousands of people have become unemployed in the past one-year. (ANI)