March 3, 2004

 

 

Japan Chicken Prices Hit By Bird Flu

 

Wholesale chicken prices in Japan have markedly decreased as a result of the bird flu outbreak in the country and region, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said.

 

The ministry said the average wholesale price of dark meat chicken, a favorite of Japanese consumers, stood at 497 yen per kilogram Monday.

 

The price was down about 24 percent since January 13, the day after the first case of bird flu in the nation in recent years was confirmed in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

 

The average retail price of dark meat, meanwhile, stood at 118 yen per 100 grams in the fourth week of February, the same level as that of the previous week.

 

But the ministry is concerned about the possible effect on the retail price posed by a report that chickens produced from fowls shipped from a farm in Kyoto Prefecture, where a bird flu case was reported, were put on sale in Osaka Prefecture due to a delay in notification of the case.

 

The ministry intends to maintain a close watch on chicken prices, officials said.

 

The slide in the wholesale price of dark meat chicken started in February, with demand falling due to the apparent spread of bird flu.

 

The retail price, however, has remained stable. "If the retail price of chickens were raised, it would negatively affect consumer sentiment. Demand might consequently fall," a Japan Chicken Association official said.

 

But some observers are concerned that the retail price also might drop if demand continues to decline.

 

According to a ministry report on the average retail price for meat in the fourth week of February, that of imported beef, chilled sirloin, stood at 380 yen per 100 grams, up 4 yen from that of the previous week.

 

The price had risen for seven straight weeks and was at its highest since August, when the ministry started conducting the survey.

 

The average retail price of pork loin stood at 239 yen in the same week, up 1 yen from the previous week.