Poultry sales pick up again in Chandigarh tricity

Business has normalised by 80% says a Chandigarh seller, while Panchkula reports slow rise in demand

Chicken and egg sales, which plunged after avian Influenza was confirmed in Panchkula and Dera bassi, are normalising, with prices increasing too, sellers confirm.

Sales have started to pick up at the chicken market in sector 21, say sellers. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

“With no case of bird flu transmission to humans, people are less paranoid about contracting the disease. Around 80% of our chicken meat and eggs business has normalised,” says Ashish Kumar, president of the Meat Market Association of Sector 21.

With increase in demand, prices of poultry products too are going up, albeit slowly, Kumar added. “Prices of broilers, which had fallen to ₹130 per kg, are now back to anything between ₹150 to ₹160 per kg. Wholesale price for eggs, which had fallen too, is now back to ₹450 to ₹460 per 100 eggs.”

Supply was steadying too, he added. Other retailers, however, said sales were increasing slowly.

Deepak, owner of Chawlas Chicken at Sector 46, said, “sales have started to improve, but we are still struggling with chicken. People seem to have switched over to mutton and fish, for which sales are high. However, it will take some time for chicken sales to improve.

“We are selling about 50% of what we used to sell before we were hit by bird flu. The price of broiler chicken has gone up from ₹130 to ₹150 per kg. Price of a tray of 30 eggs, which had gone down to ₹150, is now up again to ₹170,” said Harsimran Bedi, proprietor of Bedi Chicken in Sector 2, Panchkula.

Ricky, proprietor of RK Chicken Shop in Mohali’s Phase 5, said “Sales were not affected much in the city even after bird flu was confirmed in Dera Bassi. After a slight dip it’s business as usual for us.”

Assuring people that there was no harm in chicken consumption, Dr Kanwarjit Singh, joint director of the UT animal husbandry and fisheries department, said, “We are keeping a strict vigil on poultry birds in and around Chandigarh. People have nothing to fear, and as long as they cook food over 70 degrees Celsius it is safe for consumption.”