October 11, 2012

Bahrain may not experience chicken shortage

Despite Saudi Arabia halting exports across the Gulf, Bahrain is unlikely to face any shortages of chicken.

It has been forced to take the action in a bid to curtail price rises of around 40%, said Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) board member and entrepreneurs committee chairman Khalid Al Amin.

No official announcement has been made by the Saudi government, but it is understood export ban will only affect chilled chicken and not frozen products.

Al Amin said Bahrain's reliance on fresh Saudi chicken was minimal due to the fact it had several poultry farms and imported the meat from several countries.

"We have no shortage of chicken in Bahrain and the lack of Saudi fresh chicken shouldn't cause any alarm," he told the GDN.

"I have been in meetings with the Saudis trying to get them to continue exporting chicken to Bahrain. They banned the export of chicken because the price was high - the prices rose up to 40% - and there is no reason for these high prices. To lower the prices they stopped exports to create a surplus in Saudi Arabia, which will lead to the price of chicken being lowered."

Al Amin, whose comments were backed up by a leading importer of frozen Saudi chicken, also played down fears that chicken prices could also rise in Bahrain.

"This is not an excuse for traders to take advantage of the situation. There is a surplus of chicken in Bahrain and the prices should remain stable. Chicken is available," he said.

Meanwhile, the businessmen said shortages of lamb and mutton, which has seen meat being taken off the menu at some restaurants and households, had been blown out of proportion.

"This is an issue that has been made larger than it is. You can go to any supermarket and find frozen lamb from Pakistan, India and New Zealand. It may not be fresh but it is good high-quality meat," said Al Amin.