MULTAN, Jan 14: Prices of live chicken and meat have registered a decline of 20 per cent owing to seasonal slump in the consumer market.

Due to multiple factors, live broiler bird is now being sold at Rs55 a kg and meat at Rs90 a kg against Rs66 and Rs110 per kg last month.

Poultry traders said the cold spell is hampering good consumption and demand in the markets of this zone.

Furthermore, bulks supplies to Balochistan are suspended following the winter snowfall, while its partial demand is being fulfilled by Sindh, rather than Punjab.

A local poultry expert, Dr. Adbul Hameed Chaudhry, told Dawn that the average cost of production of live broiler bird is Rs65 per kg (Rs90 for feed, Rs15 for day old chick, Rs15-20 for vaccination, medication, and miscellaneous charges). It is, however, being sold at Rs55 per kg against its production cost which has forced hundreds of farmers to close down their farming units. He said due to the improper pricing mechanism, small farmers are being much discouraged.

In the poultry market, broiler production from South Punjab generally holds a good attraction for poultry traders of Balochistan, and bulk quantities are sent to the province on a daily basis from Khanewal, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh and Multan.

According to a poultry broker, Mohammad Safdar Pittafi, the average daily supply to Balochistan is 200,000 to 300,000 kgs. But now supplies are suspended which have led to a big slump in prices. And due to poor demand, farmers have no option, but to sell it at lower rates than its cost of production.

“The situation may worsen and rates may register a further fall, if consumption demand did not match the production,” said a distributor, Malick Shahid Ali.

He admitted that due to the fear of lengthy spell of slump, a large number of farmers have left the profession. He was of the view that a gradual decline in the production could lead to increase in prices in the forthcoming months.