In the first nine months of FY26, exports have almost doubled Photo Credit: Reuters
India’s poultry exports are set to hit a new record this financial year due to strong purchasing by countries like UAE, Indonesia and Japan. Stakeholders said the reopening of the Dubai market for Indian poultry products is also helping the demand trend.
According to DGCIS data, in the first nine months of FY26, exports have almost doubled year-on-year and shipments have reached a record $237 million as against $119 million in the same period last year. In terms of volume, shipments have increased significantly to over 18.87 lakh tonnes (litres) compared to 6.96 lakh tonnes (litres) last year.
Valsan Parameswaran, secretary of All India Poultry Exporters Association, said demand from UAE, Oman and Dubai has increased exports. Dubai, which is a major consumption hub, has opened the market for Indian poultry after a gap of about 10 years and our products are priced competitively compared to Turkey and Iran, he said.
In fact, the UAE has seen a more than three-fold increase in shipment value during April-December this year. The UAE has overtaken Oman as the largest buyer during April-December this year with the shipment value exceeding $23.14 million from the same period last year. Countries like Indonesia and Japan, which import egg powder from India, have seen a surge in demand during this period.
new markets
“Although UAE and Oman are big markets for Indian poultry, we are also trying to establish and penetrate new markets like CIS countries, which is a very big market,” said Divya Kumar Gulati, president of CLFMA, India. “The confidence created when we exported eggs to the US last year is helping in increasing the total shipments. We have been able to comply and our quality is also improving,” Gulati said.
Apart from the Gulf, Indian poultry exports are going to markets like Maldives and some West African countries, Parameswaran said. “Dubai is a good market for processed chicken, but it is occupied and dominated by Brazil and gaining a foothold here is a challenge,” he said.
Gulati said, “Though we have been able to successfully export eggs and egg products, we are lagging behind in the shipment of poultry meat as our production cost is still high due to higher cost of raw materials compared to other countries of origin like Brazil. Although we have been able to export some containers to the UAE, we are unable to match the Brazilian price. We are also in discussion with the government regarding the lack of export competitiveness and are asking them to export only on an EOU basis. We are insisting on establishing or allowing and achieving price parity with the world raw materials so that our final products are competitive enough”.
“If we want to export and also increase our domestic consumption, we need inputs at par with the world level. Only then will we be competitive for our meat exports. Our production capacity in terms of table eggs is much better, so we are able to compete,” Gulati said.
India is the second largest egg producer and production was estimated at 149.11 billion, an increase of 4.4 percent from the previous year. The Indian poultry industry is growing at the rate of 7-8 percent per year.
Published on February 27, 2026
