Pakistani poultry prices to reach US$4.74 per kilogramme

Prices of chicken meat in Pakistan would soar up to PKR 300-400 (US$3.56-US$4.74) per kilogramme after imposing the proposed VAT rate of PKR 212 (US$2.51) per 50-kilogramme of poultry feed bag.

All Pakistan Poultry Association (APPA) Punjab Chapter spokesman Major (Retd) Javaid Bokhari said that there are 25,000 poultry farms in the country; on average, each farm uses about 1,800 poultry feed bags in a season to produce 3 million birds daily across the country to provide chicken meat and eggs to consumers at reasonable rates throughout the year.

He said that nowhere in the world VAT is imposed on food items but government seems to be so bent upon depriving people from having the cheapest source of protein by imposing VAT on it. ''Low prices of chicken meat are the major source to keep the prices of vegetables within the reach of the common man,'' he added.

He said poultry farming has now become one of the most dynamic associated parts of agriculture in the country, with an annual outcome of PKR 300 billion (US$3.56 billion). It is providing livelihood to 1.5 million households in the country, therefore government should reconsider its decision to levy VAT on poultry industry which is contributing greatly to the food production, besides playing a significant role in stability of prices of essential food items and vegetables. ''Price of mutton has already increased to PKR 450 per kg and if chicken prices also take a hike, then inflation will be skyrocketing, he emphasised.''