Exploring the impact of COVID-19 and the associated lockdown on the production, distribution, and consumption of poultry products in Gujarat, India: a qualitative study

Pallavi Mishra, Akash Golaviya, Ketankumar Panchal, Ankit Hinsu, Kavita Yadav, Guillaume Fournié, Tony Barnett, Prakash Koringa, Haidar Ul Iman Paleja and Rajib Dasgupta

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Background: The poultry industry in India, estimated to be worth about one trillion INR, was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted in Gujarat, India to unpack the processes through which COVID-19-related factors affected the poultry production and distribution network and explore the impacts on the relevant actors. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 34 poultry stakeholders using semi-structured interviews. The data were thematically analyzed by adopting an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results: Convincing evidence emerged that the lockdown and the pandemic significantly impacted the production, distribution, and consumption of poultry products. Movement restrictions during the first lockdown disrupted the supply of inputs and the distribution of poultry and poultry products. Between March and June 2020, rumors contributed to a substantial decrease in the consumption of poultry products. Consumption picked up following the reopening after the lockdown and the prices and availability of poultry products. The profits, however, failed to compensate for the losses that had been incurred. Conclusions: The experience and impacts of the first COVID-19 lockdown on the poultry industry unraveled several short- and medium-term challenges in the poultry sector in India that need to be addressed to make it more resilient to similar shocks.

Keywords: chicken meat; Covid-19; egg; lockdown; poultry; qualitative research; rumors; coronavirus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J01 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 16 pages
Date: 2023-09-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in Poultry, 30, September, 2023, 2(3), pp. 395 - 410. ISSN: 2674-1164

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