Chicken prices increase in twin cities

Rawalpindi:The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will buy chicken at the new rates from Friday (today) because Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chatha has accepted all demands of poultry dealers and allowed them to Rs45 per kilogram profit in ‘uniform rate’.

If the residents of all other cities in Punjab will buy 1-kilogram chicken meat at Rs600 but the residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will pay Rs645 for the same quantity of chicken meat. After this increase all poultry dealers have called off their strike here on Friday.

They were not only pressurising but ‘blackmailing’ the district administration, as well through a baseless strike of chicken sellers all around the city for two days. There was no chicken in Rawalpindi due to a strike of chicken sellers. Poultry traders were demanding local administration to increase the prices of chicken.

The poor consumers were not buying chicken at cheaper rates in the present situation but were purchasing 1 kilogram of chicken meat at Rs540 to Rs580. Poultry dealers have gone on strike for an indefinite period against the ‘uniform rates’ of poultry. They wanted to further increase the rates of chicken. They have also stopped the supply of eggs and warned the local administration, Rawalpindi to increase the prices of chicken otherwise strike will continue for an indefinite time.

The distributors, wholesalers, and retailers have stopped selling chicken and eggs. The Poultry Association of Abbottabad district and Chakwal district also announced their support for the strike and stopped the supply of chicken as a result of which the twin cities ran short of poultry items all around. It is worth mentioning here that the government has already increased chicken prices by over 300 per cent in three years. Chicken meat was easily available at cheaper rates of Rs160 to Rs200 per kilogram. But, now for three years, people have been buying chicken meat at high prices between Rs600 to Rs850.

Nowadays, 1 kilogram of chicken meat is selling at Rs540 to Rs580, it was the ‘uniform rate’ of the local administration, Rawalpindi. However, poultry businesspersons had observed a strike and pressurising the local administration, to increase chicken prices. Now, chicken sellers will sell chicken meat in exorbitant prices from Friday (today).