January 20, 2004

 

 

Thai Government Takes Action Against Falling Poultry Sales

 

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered chicken to be served at a weekly Cabinet meeting Tuesday as poultry sales plunge in stores and restaurants.

 

"The prime minister decided that the Cabinet should be the showcase for people in Thailand and the world because there's no bird flu in Thailand," government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair said Monday.

 

The avian flu has ravaged chicken farms elsewhere in Asia, and caused the deaths of five people in Vietnam.

 

Some farmers claim that millions of chickens have died from the virus in Thailand - a major chicken exporter. But the Agriculture Ministry has attributed the poultry deaths and culling to outbreaks of fowl cholera and infectious bronchitis, a finding endorsed by the government and the poultry industry.

 

Still, consumers at a major discount retailer in Thailand, preparing for feasts to celebrate the Lunar New Year this week, have shunned chicken in favor of fish and pork, the Thai-language Manager newspaper reported Monday.

 

Pork sales at retail chain Siam Makro Plc have jumped by up to 60%, the store's managing director, Suchada Ithijarakul, was quoted as saying.

 

Street vendors and small restaurants in downtown Bangkok also reported Monday that chicken sales have dived since late last week.

 

Warunee Veechai, who cooks stir-fried meals at a sidewalk stand, said her customers were steering clear of the meat.

 

"Usually we sell 3 kilograms of chicken a day. Today, we only bought 2 kilograms and still have one left," she said. "If it keeps going down, I'm not sure if I am going to buy any."

Suchitraporn Tinboonchoo, manager of a restaurant in the local S&P chain, also was facing drooping sales.

 

"The foreigners who come here still order chicken, perhaps because they don't know the news. But the Thais don't eat it at all," she said.

 

Not all Thais were avoiding chicken.

 

At nearby Chester's Grill, a local fast food restaurant specializing in the fowl, Mingkwan Luangaroonrung lunched on some fried chicken.

 

"I'm still eating," said the 26-year-old businesswoman. "My friends remind me not to, but when I get hungry, I forget."

 

Thailand is the world's fourth-largest chicken exporter, according to government figures. It shipped 500,000 metric tons of chicken worth 52 billion baht ($1=THB39.000) in 2003, and has set a target of about 600,000 tons for this year.