Contract Broiler Farming in Puducherry, India : Boon or Bane to Broiler Farmers?

A study on functioning of contract broiler Ffrms in and around Puducherry (India) was carried out. The relevant data were collected through personally interviewing 49 Contract Broiler Farmers representing five Broiler Integrators operating in and around Puducherry. The results showed that most of the farmers have taken up Contract Broiler Farming as a secondary occupation to supplement their income from agriculture. The profile of the respondents confirmed the contention that the Integrators prefer small farmers who have less economic power to influence the government or create legal problems in case of a contractual dispute. The contract agreement of the Integrators is one sided favouring the Integrators. The farmers had no control over the quality of the inputs like chicks, feed, medicine and technical advice given by the Integrator which affect the final body weight gain by the broilers and ultimately the payment received by them. The contract is silent on the standards for the quality of inputs supplied by the Integrator such as weight of the day old chick, quality of the feed and medicines.