KOCHI: It looks like Keralites can’t do without their favourite non-vegetarian dishes for long. The sale of chicken, which had dropped drastically during the first few weeks in March owing to the bird flu scare, has suddenly gained momentum in the last ten days. Presently, three lakh kilos of chicken meat is sold across the state daily. According to All Kerala Poultry Federation (AKPF) M Thajudheen, the demand for live chicken meat is mostly from households and has risen ever since the lockdown came into force.
However, with the shortage in supply of poultry from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka owing to the lockdown advisory, local retailers here have to contend with the rationed supply from poultry farms in the state to keep up with the demand.“Usually during peak seasons, Kerala requires 40 lakh kilos of chicken, of which nearly 80 per cent is supplied from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Currently, the supply is mainly from the poultry farms in the state and there is a rising demand for chicken meat. Though we don’t have bulk restaurant orders and marriage functions, there is a huge demand from households,” Thajudheen said.
Despite the shortage, both poultry farmers and traders are happy the price of chicken which plummeted to Rs 35/kg in retail during March has risen to Rs 100 per kg. “The bird flu and Covid-19 scare resulted in the huge drop in chicken prices in March.
We expect the price to go up further in mid-April,” Thajudheen added. AKPF general secretary S K Naseer said people are opting to buy chicken during the lockdown as it is protein rich and more easily available. “Also, the recent seizure of chemical-laced fish from different parts of the state has fuelled demand for chicken. If the supply from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka does not resume soon, the price will go up to `150-200 per kg,” said Naseer.