Bengaluru, Oct. 11 -- Rising poultry feed costs, driven by crop stress from a weak monsoon and competing demand from ethanol producers, are squeezing margins for India's broiler producers and meat retailers.

Maize accounts for 55-65% of broiler feed by weight. Prices paid by poultry farmers rose to Rs.27-28 per kg in late September from Rs.12-14 in 2019, according to industry estimates. Wholesale market prices stood at a national median of about Rs.23 per kg on 8 October, according to Agmarknet, the government's agricultural market information network, which tracks commodity prices and arrivals across mandis.

Higher feed prices, along with rising energy and transport costs, are pushing up production expenses across the livestock industr...