Chicken price on declining path

Chicken meat prices have declined in the last two days thanks to increase in supply, traders said.

Nationwide hot spell earlier this month pushed the prices of chicken meat up, but the prices went down with falling temperature, they said.

Broiler chicken was sold at Tk150-155 per kg on Wednesday, which was Tk 165-170 per kg two days back. The price has declined at the farm level that helped reduce the price, retailers said.

"I've bought 100 kg of birds at Tk1400 today from a farm at Hemayetpur in Savar, the rate was Tk 15,000 to Tk 15,500 two days ago," Matiar Rahman, a retailer at Shukrabad Bazar, in the city said.  

Pakistani variety of bird was sold at Tk250-260 (medium sized) and Tk350-360 (big sized) per piece at retail, which was Tk300-320 and Tk400-420 per piece respectively three days back, he said.

But local variety was rare and the prices of which have remained stable in the past one month and it was selling at Tk350-360 (medium sized) and Tk450-500 (big) per piece on Wednesday.

Md Amanullah Rasel, a poultry farm owner at Kumarjani area under Mirzapur upazila in Tangail district, told the FE that the high temperature caused decline in production of both meat and egg last month.

"But the condition is improving thanks to the current week's rain," he said.

Bangladesh Poultry Rakkha Jatiya Parishad (BPRJP), a poultry farmers' platform, convener Khandker Mohosin told the FE that hot weather caused 'anorexia'-or aversion to food intake- among the birds, causing significant fall in production in May.

"Shower for the few days has brought a great relief to both the farmers and the birds," he said.

"The production is increasing as the birds are now taking foods," he said.

Breeders Association of Bangladesh (BAB) secretary Saidur Rahman Babu told the FE that the prices of egg will also reduce in the coming days as egg output is also rising.

However, egg (farm) was sold at Tk 8.0 per piece at retail, which was Tk 7.0 per piece a month back.