T&T Poultry Sellers Worried About Shortage
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - According to Head of the T&T Association of Pluckshop Operators, Rasheed Karim, wholesalers are selling chickens below the average weight and they are too expensive.According to Guardian, Mr Karim said operators are fearful of a shortage of chicken for the Christmas season and are fed up of being held hostage by suppliers.
Addressing the media, Mr Karim said for the past 13 weeks local wholesalers and producers of live chickens have been unable to supply large chickens or provide a substantial quantity of smaller birds.
He said the chickens currently being sold weigh between 2.7 to 3.5 pounds and are sold wholesale at $6.30 per pound.
Mr Karim said pluck shop operators retail the chickens at around $6.25 per pound and make their money from a $10 processing fee to slaughter, pluck and gut the birds.
He said the pluck shop operators had an emergency meeting this week to discuss the situation. They are worried their might be a shortage of chicken for the Christmas season.
In an immediate response, Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj said he had been assurred by poultry suppliers that the situation should normalise by month end.