Chicken prices have increased by more than Rs 40 per kg in a week's time and now it is being sold at Rs 200 per kg from Tuesday due to annual short supply during summer. Former President Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) and a big poultry trader Abdul Basit told Business Recorder that poultry farmers in Punjab have suffered huge losses as heat and humidity in recent weeks have been very cruel to the poultry industry.
"Combined with the high humidity and blistering temperatures and long hours of load shedding have killed hundreds of thousands chickens in the 25,000 poultry farms, he said. Basit, who is a poultry expert, pointed out that the chickens do not sweat and must get rid of excess heat through their respiratory system; therefore, the months of June, July and August are very destructive for the poultry for when the atmospheric heat is higher than their internal heat, they can't get rid of it and die quickly.
Basit pointed out that since the prices of mutton have gone beyond the reach of the common man demand for chicken meat has increased significantly. He hoped the situation will improve after September when moderate weather becomes conducive for poultry farming.