Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 23: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has taken up an issue affecting poultry farmers and egg supply in the Islands with the Hon’ble Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri K. Ram Mohan Naidu Ji.
In a formal representation, the MP highlighted the acute problem arising due to the non-availability of facilities for air transportation of day-old chicks (live stock) on the Chennai – Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) air sector. More than 250 poultry farmers in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands depend entirely on the regular supply of day-old chicks from Chennai for their livelihood. Given the geographical isolation of the Islands, air transport remains the only viable and safe mode for transporting live chicks, as no alternative logistics or cold-chain infrastructure exists.
The MP pointed out that during the period when Indian Airlines/Air India operated flights under Government management, adequate provisions were available for transporting live chicks on this sector. However, after the entry of private airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, Indian Airlines most flights on this route no longer permit carriage of day-old chicks, citing operational constraints.
At present, Akasa Air is the only airline allowing transportation of live chicks, but with a highly limited capacity of around 45 boxes (approximately 3,000 chicks) per flight, against the minimum requirement of 150–200 boxes (around 10,000 chicks) per consignment to sustain poultry farming in the Islands. This capacity shortfall has led to severe shortages, adversely impacting poultry farmers, particularly those engaged in layer farming.
As a result, local egg production has sharply declined, forcing the Islands to depend increasingly on imports from the mainland. This has led to higher prices, supply uncertainty, and serious livelihood losses for farmers, many of whom are now on the verge of shutting down their operations.
Shri Bishnu Pada Ray has urged the Civil Aviation Minister to direct all airlines operating on the Chennai – Sri Vijaya Puram sector to provide standardized facilities for the carriage of day-old chicks, as was available earlier, or to deploy specific flights equipped for this purpose. He emphasized that such an intervention would revive local egg production, protect farmers’ livelihoods, generate employment, and enhance self-reliance in the poultry sector.
The MP further underlined that ensuring a stable and affordable supply of essential food items like eggs is crucial, especially in view of the Government of India’s thrust on tourism development in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.