KATHMANDU, March 22: Poultry farmers in Nepal earn around Rs 58 billion a year from selling broiler chickens. With the sector becoming increasingly commercial, farmers have been making solid returns from poultry farming.
According to data released on Friday by the National Statistics Office, Nepal, about 117.1 million broiler chickens are raised annually in the country. Out of more than 127.6 million chickens reared each year, the majority are broilers. The data shows that sales of over 100 million broilers generate more than Rs 57.86 billion in income annually. On average, broilers are raised for about 43.7 days and sold when they reach around 2.6 kilograms.
Poultry farming in Nepal has been expanding rapidly. Chief Statistician Madhusudan Burlakoti said the sector has moved beyond traditional household use and is growing quickly as a commercial business. He noted that the relatively short production cycle and the ability to operate with limited land and capital have made poultry farming popular among farmers and small entrepreneurs. The poultry sector is also contributing significantly to the national economy.
The new data was released amid a lack of official figures on commercial poultry farms, meat and egg production, and business structures across the country.
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According to the Commercial Poultry Survey 2024/25, poultry farming is practiced commercially in 75 out of 77 districts, except in Manang and Mustang. A total of 22,928 farmers and farms are engaged in commercial poultry farming. Of them, 92 percent are involved in meat production, 7.4 percent in egg production, and 0.5 percent in chick production.
By province, Bagmati leads in broiler production, contributing the highest number of chickens and income. Karnali Province has the highest average broiler price at Rs 278 per kilogram, while Madhesh Province has the lowest at Rs 192 per kilogram.
Men dominate the poultry sector, running 79.5 percent of farms, while women operate 20.5 percent. More than 98 percent of farms are individually owned. Most entrepreneurs fall in the 35 to 44 age group, accounting for 44.8 percent. Nationwide, 63,881 people are engaged in poultry farming.
Annually, poultry businesses produce and sell chicken meat worth about Rs 60.96 billion, eggs worth Rs 14.82 billion, chicks worth Rs 10.22 billion, and manure worth over Rs 1 billion.
The sector has incurred around Rs 79 billion in operating and capital expenses, while total fixed assets of businesses stand at about Rs 61.5 billion. About 37.3 percent of farms have taken loans from financial institutions. Only 4.1 percent of farms are insured, and among those filing insurance claims, just 56.9 percent received payouts.
The survey shows that 66.1 percent of operators consider poultry farming their main occupation. For the future, 55.7 percent plan to continue as is, 35 percent aim to expand, 3.2 percent plan to scale down, and 6.2 percent intend to shut down.
Total expenditure in poultry farming stands at around Rs 78.4 billion. Of this, about Rs 2.38 billion is spent on salaries, wages, and allowances, while the remaining Rs 76.01 billion goes to other operating and capital costs.
Bagmati Province records the highest expenditure at around Rs 32.33 billion, followed by Gandaki Province with Rs 10.86 billion and Lumbini Province with Rs 10.35 billion. Madhesh Province accounts for Rs 9.56 billion and Koshi Province Rs 8.92 billion, while Karnali has the lowest spending at about Rs 1.30 billion.
Feed accounts for the largest share of expenses, with about Rs 53.98 billion spent on it alone. This is followed by Rs 11.56 billion spent on purchasing chicks and Rs 2.55 billion on medicines, vaccines, and pesticides.
Bagmati also leads in chick production. In the province, 174 million eggs were placed in incubators, producing 146 million chicks, making it the main hub for chick production. Gandaki Province, however, has the highest hatchability rate at 84.4 percent.
At the national level, during fiscal year 2024/25, a total of 243 million eggs were incubated, producing 204 million chicks. This results in a national hatchability rate of 82.2 percent. Of the chicks produced, 194 million were sold in the market, generating around Rs 10.02 billion in income. The average price per chick stands at Rs 59.40.
