Prices of poultry products rise almost 40 percent

Taking advantage of high prices of poultry products in Punjab, dealers and vendors have unilaterally increased the rates from 35 to 40 percent here in the provincial capital. However, the district administration has taken action against the dealers and vendors, to full comply with the order of Peshawar High Court, regarding the fixing rates of poultry products below the Rs 175 per kg in the province. But, the dealers and vendors are defying the order of PHC and selling chicken meat at Rs 202 per kg, against the official fixed rate of Rs 151 per kg.
In a visit to wholesale and open market by this scribe, it was witnessed that the prices of all kind of poultry products have been increased up to 35 to 40 percent. A good weight chicken is being sold at Rs 300 to 320, which was available at Rs 240 to 250 during last week. Similarly, the prices of poultry other products were also substantial increased due to vendors fixing of artificial prices.
Poultry dealers and vendors viewed that they are mostly depended on Punjab market, to fulfil the required quantity of poultry products on daily basis. "We are not able to sell chicken meat at Rs 151 per kg as fixed by local administration, because of the high rates in Punjab, wherein chicken is being sold at Rs 163 per kg, said Haji Jangraiz Khan, a poultry dealer. He added that they had purchased a 40 mand chicken at Rs 7,200 along with additional cost of transportation and other expenses.
He said that KP market is about 80 percent dependent on Punjab market. "If the prices of poultry products have been increased in Punjab, then they are compelled to increase rates there, he maintained. Similarly, he said that the fodder prices also gone up, now a bag of 50 kg of fodder is being sold at Rs 2,300. In present situation, he said the poultry dealers and vendors can't sell chicken meat at Rs 151 per kg fixed by local administration.
Mohammad Irshad, a vendor in the wholesale market in Peshawar, said that the business had been adversely affected due to fixing low prices and shortage of required stock of poultry in the province. He said it was totally unjust with dealers and vendors to fix prices against the rates in Punjab, because the KP is mostly dependent to purchase poultry from the Punjab.
Meanwhile, the poultry vendors shut their shops and held a protest demonstration against the district administration for illegal raid of shops and arresting vendors without any reasons. The protesting vendors warned that if the government was not reviewed the present prices of poultry, then they would compel to launch a organised protest movement against it.