Chicken Prices Decline
PAKISTAN - Chicken and egg farmers are concerned about the fall in prices of their products, but industry watchers expect prices to recover in the coming weeks.
31 October 2008
3 minute read
The prices of chicken decreased on 30 October, fuelled partly by a reduction in purchasing power, which has resulted in lower consumption of such commodities, reports Daily Times of Pakistan.
The poultry industry's stakeholders said that the major reason for the decrease of prices was lower consumption by people, adding that the production of chicken remained constant but consumers have stopped buying chicken due to the high prices.
However, the prices of have eggs remained between 58 to 61 rupees (PKR) per dozen.
The price of chicken was PKR 160 per kilo at the start of this month, and remained PKR 150-160 until the third week. The prices started declining as the month passed.
"Normally, people have less money at the end of the month and it hurts consumer buying power. AS a result, the sale and prices decreases," said Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Punjab Zone Secretary, Major Syed Javaid Hussain Bukhari.
He said that production of chicken was normal, adding that the weather was favourable for breeding. He added that people generally buy more chicken at the start of month, and that chicken sales reduce as the month progresses.
He expects prices to rebound in the first week of November. "The wedding season is coming up and the prices will increase," he said, adding that the price of chicken could reach PKR 140 per kilo.
He said that chicken feed prices have increased and it had added to the cost of production. A 50-kilo bag of feed costs around PKR 1,450.
The price of eggs will increase with the decrease in temperature, he predicts.
"Currently, eggs cost about PKR 56-57 per dozen to farmers. The increase in production costs will cause the prices to increase," Mr Bukhari said.
Mukhtar Ahmed, a chicken retailer, said that he generally sells about 100 kilos of chicken daily, adding that in the last week he has only sold 70 kilos, the Daily Times report concludes.
