During the last few years, small commercial poultry farms were concerned over the bullish trend in feed prices, unfavourable egg feed-price ratio, choice of technology and lack of proper infrastructural facilities for egg production and marketing.

This study highlights some of the important structural characteristics of small poultry farms and suggests ways and means of improving economics of these as well as areas of intervention by the Government.

             Professor V.K. Gupta (b. December 6, 1930), Chairman, Centre for Management in Agriculture (CMA), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad is a Post-Graduate from the University of Lucknow. Subsequently, he studied at the Institute of Social Studies. The Hague, and Harvard University specializing in Agricultural Business.

Professor V.K. Gupta has written extensively and taught courses on Agri-Input and Output and Cooperative Organisation.

He has been consultant to several world organizations like FAO, Rome, International Rice Research Institute, Manila. He was Coordinator of several international Management Development Programmes in Fisheries, Paddy-Rice System, and Dairy.

He has been a consultant to many organizations in Government, Cooperative and Private Sector connected with Dairy, Paddy-Rice, Fertilizers, Pesticides, Farm Power, and Rural Electrification for several years.

As Chairman of CMA, he is responsible for a faculty of fifteen members engaged in a mix of activities such as teaching, research and consultancy, and a large number of research staff.