Poultry prices spike by 35 % in twin cities

Survey says broiler meat being sold at Rs580-650 per kg

ISLAMABAD:

The prices of poultry items have increased by 35 per cent in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the last eight months which has created huge volatility in the market.

According to a market survey, a 35 per cent increase was witnessed in the price of chicken in the last 8 months whereas the price of eggs increased by 33 per cent during the same period.

According to the survey, the price of live chicken in the twin cities was between Rs360-380 per kg from the last week of the current month. Similarly, chicken meat is sold at Rs580-650 per kg in the market of both cities. During this time, it was also found that poultry eggs were sold at Rs310 to Rs320 per dozen in the market of both cities.

Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Chairman Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf said the increase in the current prices of poultry is due to demand and supply issues.

He said the increase in poultry business inputs and cost of doing business was seen across the country due to which the market was in crisis.

He added that many people related to the chicken business in the country were affected by the current crisis and especially small businesses and poultry farms were closed.

“The poultry business in the four provinces including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is suffering from the current economic crisis,” he said.

Ashraf said the country’s economic conditions are also an important issue and the poultry feed ingredients imported from foreign countries are very expensive, in which soybean is important. He said many soybean ships have stopped at Karachi port, which has an inevitable impact on poultry prices.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2023.