Chicken prices zoom as input cost increases, production dips in Punjab

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, May 21

Chicken prices have shot up sharply with the poultry industry witnessing a steep cut in production due to hike in feed prices. In Punjab, the average price of chicken meat has increased to Rs 220-230 a kg over the past few days. It was Rs 160 per kg six months ago.

Balwinder Singh of Ranjit Poultry Centre, Bathinda, said: “The supply is low as due to high input cost and high temperature, many poultry farmers have not kept chicks this season. Even demand is also low, due to which chicken is selling at Rs 220-230 a kg these days.”

Rajesh Garg, president, Poultry Farmers Punjab, said: “We are selling a live chicken at Rs 135 per piece as the feed cost is quite high and retailers are selling it by including their profit margins and other costs.

Manjit Singh, a poultry farmer, said the biggest issue before the industry was that the production could not be increased or reduced according to the changes in the market.

“Sometimes bird flu and high feed cost affect the business. In such conditions, small and marginal farmers cannot bear losses for long and are forced to shut down their farms,” he added.

He appealed to the government to consider the plight of the industry. He said poultry farms could only be saved by the intervention of the government. Subsidy on feed and rates of the produce should be fixed by the government.