Czech poultry production falls, hits 1960s levels

The Czech Republic’s Agriculture Chamber is warning that the republic’s food self-sufficiency has been in decline since 1989, the Prague Daily Monitor reports.

Food prices are expected to rise and a number of agricultural companies are likely to end in insolvency after this year’s harvest, representatives of the chamber told journalists after talks held as part an agricultural exhibition held in Czech Republic.

The biggest drop in self-sufficiency was registered in the production of poultry, eggs and pork. Self-sufficiency in fruit, vegetables and potatoes also decreased, according to Agriculture Chamber president Jan Veleba.

Current poultry numbers correspond to the level of production in the 1960s. The biggest fall of 24% was last year registered for the number of chickens. Total poultry numbers decreased by 14.5%.

The number of hens is the lowest in history. Imports of hens rose by 16.8%. Hens were last year imported mainly from Poland, followed by Brazil, Slovakia and Germany.

The level of self-sufficiency in poultry dropped by 6.1 percentage points to 78.8%.