Pakistan Poultry Association (Northern Region) has urged the Punjab government to allow the free-market mechanism to regulate demand and supply instead of intervening in market prices.

PPA (Northern Region) Vice Chairman Chaudhry Muhammad Fargham while talking to media persons here on Tuesday said the industry was very hurt and depressed by the Punjab government's action of controlling the prices of live chicken and meat. He claimed that the commissioner animal husbandry in the ministry of national food security had submitted cost of production to the Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court as far back as in March 2012 at Rs 31.27 for day old chicks and Rs 132.50/kg for broilers. The current costs are around Rs 45 for day old chick and Rs 160 for broilers. As per calculation of Director PRI Rawalpindi, the cost of production is Rs.145 per kg live.

The association kept the government fully abreast of the situation through different means and said it would lead to an acute shortage of poultry products as the losses would result in a reduction in production and that prices will shoot up. "We had advised the government that in the event of an increase in price, supply would partially but gradually increase to some extent. We had strongly advised the government not to intervene in free-market mechanism but the governments paid no heed," he added.

He said now the market is allowing surviving farmers to recover their losses, the administration is arresting the sellers of chicken meat and forcing them to sell meat at Rs 260/Kg. Such actions would lead to long term closure of poultry farms, which would lead to not only a tremendous increase in chicken meat prices but also mutton, beef and pulses as well, he warned.