LAHORE, Aug 4: Chicken meat price continues to hover around Rs145 per kg in the provincial metropolis against the maximum retail price of Rs125 per kg fixed by the city district government.

Poultry traders attribute the high price to short supply caused due to the closure of most of the farms when people discontinued consuming chicken due to bird flu scare in the recent past.

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Abdul Basit, who is one of the leading poultry farmers, said that prices were high because of a 30 per cent gap between demand and supply. An average 160,000 kgs of chicken was reaching the provincial metropolis daily against a demand of 200,000 kgs. The prices would come down gradually during the next few weeks with increase in supplies.

He said that that chicken was selling at high price not only due to short supply but also due to the lukewarm attitude of the authorities concerned.