KOCHI: Though the wholesale and retail prices of chicken have come down after the floods, the industry experts say that the scenario will change in the coming months. The prices of chicken will soar to new heights by December and during the Christmas season. The present slump in prices is only a temporary thing, they added.
The average wholesale price of chicken in Kochi in September was Rs 55.61 while it was Rs 56.52 in Thiruvananthapuram. The average retail price was Rs 80 per kilogram. While dressed and packaged country (Naadan) chicken is sold at an average price of Rs 150 per 500 grams. “The price of chicken has come down to below the Rs-90-mark in the retail market after the flood. There was not much demand soon after the floods. However, the sales is gradually picking momentum,” said Naushad, a chicken vendor in Kochi.
The domestic production of chicken was severely hit as many chicken farms, especially small-scale farms set up in individual households, were destroyed in the devastating floods. “We cannot take the individual farms in households with only a limited production into account as they use the consume it themselves or sell it within the neighbourhood.
But in the case of large-scale country chicken farms and integrated farms, they have lost most of the fowls in the floods. There is not an adequate supply of chicks from other states too. Usually, a day-old chicks were supplied to the domestic farmers who will breed them. Now, there is not an adequate supply of chicks from other states, which is the reason why the domestic production was hit,” added Noushad.Meat Products of India managing director A S Bijulal said the price of chicken will see a steep increase in the coming months.
“The demand for chicken is increasing. With domestic production hit, most of the retail vendors are depending upon chicken from other states. They will gradually increase the prices, especially during the Christmas season. A huge gap is expected between demand and supply by December, which will result in prices of chicken skyrocketing,” he added.