Before Eidul Azha, chicken prices significantly increased, breaking with the customary pattern in which prices generally decrease owing to lesser demand over the holiday season.
The Pakistan Poultry Association’s (PPA) central head, Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf, voiced his surprise by saying, “In my 35 years of experience, this is the first time that chicken rates have reached a record high before Eid ul Azha.”
Live poultry now costs Rs560 per kilogramme, while clean meat costs Rs820-850 per kilogramme. Surprisingly, the cost of boneless chicken has increased to Rs 1,400 per kilogramme, surpassing the cost of veal meat (beef), which is marketed at Rs 1,100-1,200.
Ashraf blamed the situation on a lack of feed and excessive pricing, an issue that the PPA had brought up six months earlier. Soybean meal import restrictions had a major role in the shortage, followed by restrictions on issuing letters of credit for the importation of other crucial ingredients including vitamins and amino acids needed for chicken feed.
“The poultry industry is currently facing a severe shortage of soya bean meal, a crucial component of poultry feed, as we are receiving only 5 to 10 percent of our requirement, primarily from Africa,” said Mr. Ashraf. He further said that although some illicit imports from Afghanistan were occurring, the quality was questionable.
He added that he just spoke with PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari to about the continuing chicken situation.
Only 40% of live grill birds are now accessible on the market because to an imbalance in supply caused by the lack of feed and their rising pricing. Price discrepancies are the outcome of this circumstance.
The farm price for live chicken in Punjab is Rs460–470 per kilogramme, with an extra Rs32 per kilogramme for transportation costs and retailer profit margins.
The Sindh Poultry Wholesalers Association’s secretary general, Kamal Akhtar Siddiqui, emphasised that despite many people choosing not to sacrifice animals this year, there has been a large increase in the number of purchasers in the market, which has exacerbated the lack of poultry.
The day before Eid, Siddiqui said, “We are still loading poultry birds from farms in Tando Mohammad Khan onto five vehicles to meet the demand. This is the first time in my professional career.”
Early in June, live bird prices in Karachi were between Rs440 and Rs470 per kilogramme, with flesh selling for Rs680 per kilogramme.
before this month, the national average price for live poultry was Rs388-520 per kilogramme, according to the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), down from Rs416-600 per kilogramme a few days before.
Over 1.5 million people are employed in Pakistan’s poultry business, according to the Economic Survey 2022–23, making it a vital part of the country’s animal economy. The industry has shown excellent development, with an annual growth rate of 7.3% over the last ten years, and has received considerable investment totaling more than Rs1.056 trillion. Presently, Pakistan is the world’s 11th-largest producer of chicken, which has a significant opportunity for growth and advancement in the future.
