Chicken price soars past 300/kg in Kolkata – Times of India

KOLKATA: The cheap source of animal protein turned dearer with the price of dressed chicken breaching the Rs 300 a kg mark, forcing consumers to cut corners to strike a dietary balance.
The price, retailers said, is likely to have a further upswing, thanks to the record rise in chicken feed, cost of medicines and sale of premature chicken.
Recently, chicken consumption dropped significantly because of the long stretch of hot summer days. But there was a sudden jump in demand after the cyclonic circulation brought the temperature down. Moreover, the wedding season led to a demand-supply gap, pushing up the chicken price.
With fish and mutton slowly turning unaffordable, middle-class Kolkatans are overwhelmingly dependent on chicken and egg. “Even five months ago, I sold chicken at Rs 200 a kg. But gradually, chicken prices had a steady upswing,” said Lake Market retailer Satyajit Sinha Roy.
“The price is rising mainly due to the steep hike in chicken feed price. Because of Covid-19, the farming of corn was badly hit globally. India exported a huge amount of corn, causing a deficit at the domestic level. Since corn and mustard are primary ingredients of poultry feed, the cost of manufacturing poultry feed rose by 80%,” said Madan Maity, secretary of the West Bengal Poultry Federation.
“Most of the hatcheries have started selling chicken before maturity. The average age of modern fast-growing broiler lines reaches 2.8kg (slaughter weight) between 34 and 35 days. But the majority of hatcheries are selling them within 28-30 days as the mortality rate is high among chicken aged more than 30 days. This has also pushed the prices of chicken,” said Saiful Molla, a hatchery owner.
Another reason is the exit of many small poultry farms from the trade. “The bird flu scare and resultant distress sale have also increased the demand-supply gap. Highly fluctuating retail prices of chicken and rumour-driven markets have discouraged small farmers from rearing chicken,” said Gautam Bhakta, a wholesaler.