Dawn reports that poultry prices have doubled in the southern Punjab owing to a fall in its production volume.

Stakeholders, including poultry farmers, feed distributors, hatchery owners and feed mill owners, are of the view that there are multiple factors behind the increase in the rate, including losses to farmers owing to high cost of production.

Retail outlets are selling poultry meat at an average rate of 190 to 200 rupees (PKR) per kilo in the city of Multan and adjoining areas as against its price of PKR 100 per kilo some three months back.

Sheikh Abdul Hameed, an owner of a retail shop, said that owing to an increase in prices, sales have dropped 15 to 25 per cent.

Majid Raza, a consumer, said that poultry prices have almost doubled in a couple of months, and the relevant departments were doing nothing to ensure availability of poultry meat at affordable prices.

Chaudhry Raza Javed, a poultry farmer, said that after suffering huge losses, more than 50 per cent poultry farms are closed which has led to a vast gap between consumption and demand.

He said that they were helpless in the pricing mechanism which is determined by market forces.

Experts told Dawn they believe that it might take a couple of months in bridging the gap between demand and production.