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ECONOMY

Shortage raises chicken meat price in Nepal, triggers smuggling from India

KATHMANDU, March 28: Amid ongoing shortage of chicken meat supply, the price of the poultry product has jumped to Rs 420 per kg in the Kathmandu Valley.
By Republica

KATHMANDU, March 28: Amid ongoing shortage of chicken meat supply, the price of the poultry product has jumped to Rs 420 per kg in the Kathmandu Valley. In addition, there is a massive rise in illegal import of chicken from India, say traders.


Junga Bahadur BC, president of Nepal Chicken Sellers Association, told Republica that there is a significant fall in production mainly because the winter season ended recently in the country. “New production declined heavily as farmers usually do not take risk of losses during a drop in temperature,” he said. 


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Traders said a rise in fodder prices and impacts of the bird flu disease were among the reasons for the soaring price of chicken in recent days. Prem Gurung, a chicken producer in Sundarbasti of Ichchhakamana-7, Chitwan, said they were also facing a short supply of the farm product in the area. 


According to Gurung, the fear of spread of bird flu has largely affected poultry production in Chitwan. Chitwan district is the country’s main hub of the poultry industry. A survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2016 shows that Chitwan district had an annual turnover of poultry products worth Rs 33.72 billion.   


Gurung said the price of chicken has surged also because of the animal feed getting dearer. “On an average, the fodder has become expensive by Rs 10 per kg,” he said. 


Citing the shortage of chicken in the domestic market, illegal import has started to flourish, said traders. “As poultry products are cheaper in India, the short supply in the local market is largely being fulfilled by the smuggled products from India,” Gurung said. 


 

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