Amid a hike in prices of edible oil and rice, the chicken has added to the woes of the consumers in Dhaka which the traders blaming on a supply crunch due to the pandemic situation.
On Friday, the retailers in the capital were selling broiler chicken at up to Tk 160 per kg, an increase of Tk 30 over two weeks.
Layer chicken prices increased by Tk 40 to Tk 220 per kg while Sonali chicken by Tk 80 to Tk 360 per kg.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh or TCB, broiler chicken prices have increased by nearly 37 percent in a year and 21 percent in a month.
A private firm executive residing in Malibagh said he bought 12 Sonali chickens from a vendor at Tk 1,800 by the end of January. At this price, he could buy eight Sonali chickens from the same vendor in mid-February.
“The vendor from whom I regularly buy chicken said they cannot buy more because of the price hike in the wholesale market,” he said.
Last Thursday, he bought four layer chickens at Tk 900 – or Tk 200 per kg.
“I had to buy fewer chickens due to the rising cost,” the consumer said.
At Malibagh Railgate Bazar, most of the cages for Sonali chicken were empty. Some of the traders were selling small Sonali chickens at high prices.
The traders said they sold Sonali chickens at Tk 220 per kg only two months ago, while the price is Tk 350 to Tk 360 in the wholesale market now.
‘Shaheen’, a trader in Barabagh, said the wholesalers raised the prices due to a supply crunch.
Sazzadur Rahman, a spokesman for Bangladesh Poultry Industry Coordination Committee, said the supply dropped after many farmers suspended production while some others left the industry due to the coronavirus crisis.
“But the prices cannot rise like this,” he said, claiming that the prices are rising from Tk 125 at farm level to Tk 160 at retail markets.
Javed Bhuiyan, general manager of AG Agro and Hatchery, also said the closure of many farms led to an imbalance in supply and demand amid the pandemic.
“The situation is getting normal now. The prices will return to previous levels within one month,” he added.
He also said Sonali chicken prices have shot up after a huge number of the variety died from diseases in February following changes in temperature.
Source:bdnews24.com
