Pakistan's poultry industry is on a fast recovery track after sustaining around Rs 10 billion losses due to infrequent bird flu strikes and scare during past one year.
With the epidemic losing its intensity, the chicken prices that remained in a low quadrant (between Rs 20 and 40 per kilogram) during past nine months have suddenly jumped up to all-time high of Rs 100 per kilogram in many cities.
In Islamabad, where the government has some effective tools to keep the prices of essential commodities under control, the chicken is being sold at between Rs 85 and 95 a kg in various markets.
But in other remote cities and suburban areas of the country like Peshawar and Abbottabad in NWFP and Rawalpindi and Lahore in Punjab, the prices have comfortably touched the triple figures.
As most of big players taking precautionary measures went in hibernation and stopped production during the bird flu days, a demand-supply gap now looks to be an obvious reason behind this shoot up in the prices.
And as the production is still not in full swing at big farms, it is being anticipated that further escalation in the price will occur in the days to come.
With the total volume of around Rs 75 billion per annum, poultry industry is thought to be the second largest industry in Pakistan after textile, and contributes some two-percent to the national economy (GDP) and six to seven percent to value addition.
A total of around five million people earn their livelihood from the industry. Chicken accounts for up to 45 percent of total meat consumption in Pakistan with about 25,000 poultry farms throughout.
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