Poultry price has been going up from the last few weeks after entrepreneurs in the Kathmandu Valley imposed quota on import of poultry products from Chitwan. After imposing quota on imports, valley entrepreneurs raised the price, citing lower supply from Chitwan, the largest poultry producer in the country.
Chicken price has gone up to Rs 210 to Rs 220 in retail shops in the Valley though local traders´ association has fixed the price at Rs 200 per kg. Chicken was selling for Rs 180 per kg two months ago.
Poultry entrepreneurs in the Valley also said shortage of chicks could aggravate supplies in coming season and push the prices upward in coming days.
“Chicken price could further go up in coming days as farms are facing shortage of chicks,” Gokarna Ghimire, president of capital-based Poultry Farmers´ Association, said. He further added that production of chicks had dropped to 600,000 heads per month from 900,000 heads few months ago. “Chicken population has dropped by 40 percent in farms based in the capital, Ghimire said, adding, “Supplies of broiler chicken has also dropped to around 70,000 heads a day from 100,000 heads per day a few months ago.”
Meanwhile, poultry entrepreneurs in Chitwan have complained that disruption in supplies to major markets, including Kathmandu, Pokhara and Butwal, have created problems. They also said poultry production in local farms have increased as compared to a few months back. Poultry farms in Chitwan are producing 20 tons of live broiler chicken a day, up from around 12-15 tons a day recorded a couple of months back.
According to Janak Man Shrestha, president of Nepal Poultry Market Management Association, Chitwan exports more than 50 percent of poultry products to other districts of which 90 percent are supplied to the capital.
“We are still facing restriction on exports. Valley-based farmers are allowing us to export only five small truck loads of chicken a day, despite improving production. They have not lifted restriction on exports despite recent understanding between farmers in Chitwan and Valley to lift restriction,” Shrestha told Republica. He also said poultry prices in the Valley are rising due to the restriction on exports.
Valley-based farmers had put quota system on import of poultry products mainly from Chitwan, claiming that their products were not finding market due to overflow of poultry products from Chitwan.
However, Ghimire said the restriction was meant only for poultry products imported from India.
Chicken price had sharply gone down to Rs 180 from Rs 240 per kg in September. Live chicken is selling in the range of Rs 115 to Rs 120 per kg in Chitwan and Rs 140 to Rs 150 in the Valley.
(With inputs from Ramesh Kumar Poudel from Chitwan)
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