Pakistan hatcheries suspected of manipulating poultry prices

A suspected cartel among hatcheries in Pakistan has caused chicken prices to increase sharply to PKR200 per kg.

The cartel - established recently and still to be investigated - is selling day-old chicks for PKR73 when the costs range PKR14 and PKR15.

This sharp price hike has caused poultry meat to become too expensive for consumers who are already facing inflation problems.

A Pakistan Poultry Association spokesman said the price increase is caused by the skyrocketing prices of poultry feed, which had surged 82 percent.

But a poultry dealer said that more than 10 large breeding companies producing day-old chicks did not pass the benefits to consumers when live broiler prices plunged. Instead, the companies had their own network across Pakistan and produce chicks for their own farms, creating a very strong demand for the remaining birds.

More than 50 percent of poultry farms had closed due to price increases of feed and day-old chicks.