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Poultry rates fall by 50% in Chandigarh
A day after bird flu was confirmed at poultry farms in Panchkula’s Barwala belt, meat sellers in Chandigarh reported dip in their sales on Saturday
A day after bird flu was confirmed at poultry farms in Panchkula’s Barwala belt, meat sellers in Chandigarh reported dip in their sales on Saturday.
“My sales have gone down by 40% already. The supply has become erratic and wholesale prices have dropped as well,” said Naginder Thakur, owner of Kasauli Broilers in Sector 22.
Thakur said wholesale prices of broiler chicken have dropped by 50% from ₹160-170 to ₹80 per kg. “While we were selling it (in retail) at ₹200 per kg in the past week, on Saturday the rate dropped to ₹120,” he said.
Poultry shops across the city reported a similar trend. Deepak, owner of Chawla’s Chicken in Sector 46, said: “In the past two days, our sales have dropped by over 50%. Even egg sales have been hit. The price of a tray of 100 eggs has fallen by around ₹150, but we still have a few takers.”
Deepak, a Jagatpura resident who supplies chicken to around eight shops in the city, said: “The price of a live chicken has fallen from ₹120 to ₹60. In about a month, once the flu is under control, the shortage may increase the prices by up to threefold.”
Demand for mutton, fish goes up
While the demand for chicken has gone down, people are turning to mutton and fish, according to Ashish Kumar, president, Meat Market Association, Sector 21. “There is about 20% rise in sale of fish and mutton products. Their prices have also started rising.”
Ashok Nagpal, another shopkeeper in Sector 21, said the price of fish with bone has gone up from ₹330 to ₹350 per kg, while that of mutton has risen from ₹570 to ₹600 per kg in the past two days.
