Chicken prices rising, as are bird flu cases

The Indian Poultry Association in Ghazipur has stated that the reason for this climb in orices has to do with a huge mismatch in demand and supply of broiler chickens. Consequently, the wholesale price of chickens has increased.

“The demand for every thousand is being met with the supply of just about 700 chicken every day,” said president of the association Mohammad Umar Puppi. He added that recently broiler chickens have been sold for Rs 48 per kg at Ghazipur, which is almost Rs 10 above the usual price.

Delhi receives much of their broiler chickens from neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan. Severe cold temperatures during December and January have affected breeding of chicken in these two states. “The supply to Delhi has decreased by 35%, while the demand has remained constant,” he said.

Meanwhile, while the price of chicken is rising, the price of eggs is coming down for completely different reasons. The reason, according to Md Ibrahim Egg Traders, is that some businesses have been taking eggs off of the menu because of bird flu fears. “In the past one week, we have seen a 25% decrease in the demand for eggs,” said Mohammad Ibrahim. However, he feels that the demand will pick-up soon.