Chicken meat prices double in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The prices of chicken meat across Pakistan have registered a sharp increase, more than 100 per cent, owing to the current wave of inflation and spike in the prices of poultry feed.

In Islamabad alone, the shaver chicken’s meat which is considered common man’s food and used to be available for Rs320 (Dh5.20) per kg until last month is costing at Rs650 (Dh10.56) per kg leading to a public outcry.

Similarly, the live chicken which was available for Rs200 (Dh3.25) per kg is being sold for Rs350 (Dh5.69) per kg.

The prices were similar, with a margin of one or two rupees, in Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, and according to the poultry merchants and dealers in chicken meat white shaver may become pricier in the coming days and can cross two luxurious items on one’s table i.e. beef and mutton.

The chicken meat price could cross Rs800 (Dh13) per kg which is almost equivalent to the price of one kilo of red meat.

Since the time when the breed was developed and introduced in Pakistan, shaver chicken was never sold at such exorbitant rates, said Amanullah, a chicken dealer of Islamabad’s local market.

Asked what could be the cause of this record prices in Islamabad, he said it was partly due to the current wave of inflation and partly because of the government’s indifference towards the poultry industry.

The current spike in prices of chicken meat is due to the hefty raise in prices of chicken feed since October last year, said another poultry merchant Safdar Abbas.

For instance, a 50kg bag of chicken feed that was available for RS5,000 (Dh81.25) now costS Rs7,000 (Dh113.75) which is mind-blowing, he said.

Pakistan is a signatory of international ratification against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and GMO and its products are not allowed in Pakistan.

The customs authorities have recently stopped the release of GMO soybean shipments arriving mainly from the US and Brazil and presently, nine shipments have been stranded at the port waiting for clearance.

Under the prevailing scenario, the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and All-Pakistan Solvent Extractors’ Association (APSEA) have given a call for a protest in Lahore on Thursday. It threatened the protest would spread to the rest of the country if the government did not respond to their call and save the two industries from collapse.

President of the Punjab Poultry Farmers Association Mian Tariq Javed has drawn the attention of the government towards the situation calling for urgent steps to end the deadlock.