Kitchen budgets continue to go haywire with prices of poultry products rising steadily due to fluctuating temperatures resulting in high mortality of chicken, which, in turn, is leading to a yawning demand-supply gap. Moreover, a record rise in poultry feed prices has also pushed the retail prices up.
In the last 10 days, the wholesale price of eggs has gone up to Rs 1 per piece, and price of chicken has increased to Rs 80 per kg over the last three weeks
The current retail price of eggs varies from Rs 6 to Rs 6.30 a piece and the price of dressed chicken hovers around Rs 300 a kg. After a stabilisation of the price, the upswing will burn bigger holes in consumers' pockets. However, there has been no price increase in the wholesale market, with the wholesale price being Rs 157 a kg for whole chicken. This, despite the fact that there has been no supply of Bengal chicken to the northeast through the Assam border.
According to Madan Maity, general secretary of Bengal Poultry Federation, the industry has incurred successive losses, forcing many small poultry vendors to exit the trade. "The condition of chicken farm owners in Bengal is very bad, with mortality, food prices and loan instalments contributing to their difficulties. When chicken is sold for Rs 280-300, the retail rate will automatically increase. They can meet bank instalments. Farmers will benefit somewhere. But even if we want, the price will not stay high for long since people will stop buying chicken at a price they can't afford," Maity said.
The central government's decision to halt export of poultry feed ingredients has some what reduced the price of feed per kilogram, resulting in a slight decrease in the cost of chicken.
"It is uncertain how severe the impact of the cyclonic storm Mocha will be and how much damage it will cause. It is impossible to sell eggs and chicken at a reduced price. We have informed the associations of our decisions," he said.
Some farm owners are scared of the approaching cyclonic storm Mocha. Amphan had led to the death of 4.2 million birds, mostly broiler chickens, while more than 6,000 livestock were killed by cyclone Fani. "We always suffer after the cyclonic storms hit despite adopting all required measures to safeguard the poultry farms," said Gaurab Mondal, a poultry farmer.
