Much to the chagrin of common citizens, chicken prices soared this week after a steady decline over the last few weeks. A kilogram of live chicken touched Rs. 103 this week.
“It is a normal trend in summer. Birds lose weight in extreme weather conditions. Also, they do not take feed and water adequately, resulting in low weight,” K.G. Anand of Venkateshwara Hatcheries, said. He predicted that prices would reduce after a few days.
“The market was dull for the last few weeks following reports of bird flu. Several thousand birds were culled in the past few months, giving rise to shortage,” a poultry trader from the city added.
Increased demand
In the backdrop of the rise in prices, many hoteliers say that they are finding it difficult to handle the extra crowd. “Whenever the price of chicken increases, there is a rise in demand in the hotels. It is because people prefer biryani from hotels to home-made biryani as it is easy on the pocket,” Mohammad Irfan, a hotelier from Tolichowki, said. On an average, hoteliers add 200 grams of chicken to every plate of biryani.
“We are in a bind as we cannot stop cooking chicken biryani and related items like kebabs and Chinese dishes,” another hotelier at Falaknuma says.
The traders’ attribution of price hike to shortage and the torrid summer has not convinced the common person, who is feeling the pinch. “Vegetable prices have increased and now with chicken prices rising, our budget is stretched. Small fluctuations in the market greatly affect us,” said Rashida Begum, a resident of Musheerabad.
Also facing problems due to the unexpected price rise are the families who have big events lined up. Hundreds of functions are scheduled in the next couple of weeks before the start of Ramzan.
“Most families are spending between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 25,000 additionally due to the price rise. A few have replaced chicken with other items on the menu,” Syed Yousuf, a caterer from Old City, said.
Vegetable prices have increased and now, with the price of chicken rising, our budget is stretched. Small fluctuations in the market greatly affect us
Rashida Begum
Musheerabad resident
