November 19, 2004

Chicken Prices Surge in Pakistan

The retail price of live broiler chicken has jumped to Rs 82 per kilogram in Pakistan. This shows a rise of Rs 20 per kilo in just one week, according to market sources on Thursday.

An office bearer of Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Sindh zone revealed that the new prices are effective from November 18. The supply of poultry products was short in the market due to low activities at hatcheries. The supply position will be normalised next month, he added.

Live broiler chicken was already short in supply by end of Ramazan, but PPA deferred the increase in prices due to Eid. In fact, prices were already reduced by Rs 4 to Rs 62 to facilitate people to buy chicken for Eid.

However, the supply diminished substantially on the first day of Eid while the demand surged significantly, he said. A chicken retailer pointed out that broiler chicken was selling at Rs 78 per kilo on Eid, now they have further jumped by Rs 4 to Rs 82 per kg.

He said that the supply from poultry farmers was limited while the demand was growing. The broiler chicken was selling at Rs 38 per kilo while chicken eggs cost Rs 40 a dozen in retail. Some of the chicken retailers have closed down their businesses due to the non-availability of poultry products from farmers.