RAJSHAHI, May 09: Price of all varieties of chicken registered an abnormal rise in the markets of Rajshahi. Specially, the price of local, indigenous variety of chicken has surpassed all previous record.
According to sources, local variety of chickens which are reared in open space by villagers and also by people living at the suburbs, consume natural foods like grass, grains, leaves and insects. As a result, meat and eggs of those chickens are very tasty and not injurious to health. For thousands of years, local varieties of chicken are being reared by the people of the country to meet protein and nourishment. Mostly housewives of the rural areas reared those chickens as non-commercial basis, just to meet the need of family meat during emergencies. But, due to various social complications, rearing of chickens is now not being encouraged even by rural people. As a result, the crisis of local chicken is always seen in the markets of the district.
Now, with the approaching of the holy month of Ramadan, the crisis of local variety of chicken has turned acute in the district. On Saturday last, the local variety of chicken was being sold at Tk 340 to Tk 350 per kg as against the regular price of Tk 300 previous week. The chicken traders at Shaheb Bazar said the price of local variety of chicken would further rise during the month of Ramadan and during next Eid-ul-Fitr as the supply of locally reared chicken has been reduced drastically during the current months.
The egg traders of Shaheb Bazar also informed, the supply of eggs of local variety of chicken has now reduced alarmingly. The price of local variety of chicken eggs and duck eggs is also very high. The chicken egg sells at Tk. 120 to 140 per dozen while the duck egg is sold at Tk 144 to Tk 150 per dozen.
Meanwhile, prices of all other varieties of chickens have registered a rise in the market of Rajshahi recently. The price of Sonali, Layer and Broiler has increased to Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg than that of regular price. In various city markets, Sonali chicken was seen to sell at Tk.260, Layer at Tk 170 to Tk 180 and Broiler at Tk 140 per kg respectively.
Shamim Uddin, a chicken trader at RDA market in the city informed, due to impact of climate change, thousands of chicken died in the poultry farms during last three months. As a result, the poultry farm owners incurred a huge loss and many of poultry farm owners had abandoned rearing chicken at their farms. So, the supply of farmed chicken has been reduced in the district markets in the recent days and the price of chicken was also on the increase in the markets.
Abdus Salam who came to purchase chicken at RDA market informed, chicken meat was a regular item at food menu to millions of city families. It is consumed by all sort of people, lower, middle and high income group people irrespective of all religion. Now, the price of the chicken being increased, many consumers of chicken are finding it hard to purchase those regularly.
Sadrul Islam, director of the Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the price of chicken registered a rise due to shortage of supply. The production of chicken has also been decreased in the district for last couples of months because many chicken farm owners stopped the business by incurring recurrent loss. However, he said, the price would come down when supply of chicken will be increased in the markets.
Apurba Adhikary, assistant director of National Consumers' Right Conservation Department in Rajshahi, informed the price of chicken has increased in the markets of the district. The department was trying to identify the cause of sudden increase of chicken price and would take action accordingly.
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