Chicken meat price continues to increase unchecked, as just in three days chicken price has spiked from Rs200 per kilogram to Rs250 per kg leaving the consumers clueless and helpless. There are also question marks on the health of the birds.
Secretary Poultry Market Committee told Business Recorder here on Sunday that whole sale prices of live broiler were Rs168 per kg and retail live broiler Rs174 per kg. Chicken meat was sold at Rs252 per kg. Even in Sastay Sunday bazaars organised by the local government, chicken meat was sold at Rs249 per kg.
Former President Pakistan Poultry Association Abdul Basit told this scribe that poultry disease, Rani Khait, had hit some poultry farms last month in the province that has discouraged the poultry farmers to lay fresh crops. He said the shortage of the matured chicken stock and greater demand has increased the poultry prices.
Basit, who is also a poultry farmer and exporter, castigated the Punjab government for removing distance restrictions between the two poultry farms that has caused spread of the "Rani Khait" disease.
He said it was a universally recognised practice that there should be a distance of at least one to three kilometers between broiler, one day birds and grand-parents poultry farms so that the poultry diseases do not spread
Poultry experts and farmers are simply flabbergasted over the intent and rationale of removing this well recognised and accepted restriction for the good of the farmers engaged in an otherwise very risky business, he added.