Body to review chicken prices

LAHORE:The Punjab government on Sunday constituted a committee comprised of the industry, traders, market representatives and the government officials to review the issues and submit the proposal for the price fixation of chicken.

The poultry industry refused to sell chicken at the government fixed rates justifying the demand and supply mechanism, increase in production cost and shortage of chicken production occurred due to covid-19 lockdown. The poultry industry officials said they did not agree with the government fixed rates but agreed to constitute the committee to prepare the proposals for the poultry industry and prices. Three members of the committee represent the poultry industry while one poultry trader and Secretary Livestock are other members, the industry officials said.

Industries and Trade Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal expressed his anger to the poultry industry on betraying from commitment and agreed rates of the chicken for Eid holidays. He said that the government would protect the people’s interest and would not allow any mafia to exploit the general public. He warned of taking all-out action to protect the people’s interest.

The poultry industry delegation headed by the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) Chairman Muhammad Farghum along with Rai Mansab Ali, Raza Mehmood and others said the cost of chicken production increased while industry was facing crisis besides decline in productivity. They asked for fixing a price mechanism which benefits to consumers and all stakeholders along with established writ of the government. They assured all possible support to the government.

Earlier, the poultry industry and minister for industries and production made price agreement of chicken for Eid holidays at Rs260 per kilogram. However, the price was not implemented. The minister expressed anger on betraying of the commitment by the poultry industry and taking action against them after Eid. He had declared that the government would not negotiate with the poultry industry anymore rather it would take action.

However, irrespective of all claims made by the minister for industries and trade of taking action, he called the poultry industry again for negotiation and accepted the demand by constituting a committee instead of taking action against them. The poultry industry official confirmed that the government would not intervene in the price until the committee recommendations while no such price fixation orders of the government would be accepted.

The poultry industry practically showed it by not following the rates of chicken and live bird on Sunday. The price of live bird was fixed at Rs171-179 per kilogram while it was sold Rs220 to 240 per kilogram. Further, chicken meat price was fixed at Rs260 per kg and it sold at Rs350 to 400 per kg in the different localities of the city.

An official of the district management said that due to demand and supply gap the rate fixed by the government for chicken was not implemented. He said that when the district administration raided the chicken shops, the shopkeepers closed the shops which created shortages. The closing of the chicken shops gave advantage to known butcheries cool-chain shops in the city. These butcheries always charged higher rates than the government fixed price of chicken while no action was initiated against them, the official admitted.