Despite there has been a decrease in the wholesale price of poultry chicken in Khulna, the same pricing is not being reflected in the retail market.
At the wholesale markets, poultry chicken is priced between Tk195-200, but at the retail level, the same chicken is being sold for Tk240-245.
Meanwhile, roosters are being sold at Tk320, Sonali chicken at Tk330, and broiler chicken at Tk240-245.
Several customers at various markets are reporting difficulty in affording chickens as prices have remained high even after the month of Ramadan has begun.
On the other hand, sellers are facing difficulty in selling their existing batch of chickens and are hesitant to bring in more.
Wholesale seller, Md Sohel said: “Due to insufficient chick supply to meet existing demand, production has decreased leading to lower supply in the market. It has resulted in an increase in prices.”
He said on Friday he sold chicken at Tk228-230 per kg, whereas the retail price was Tk240-245.
Md Liton Hossain, a chicken seller at Khalishpur Municipal Super Market, said that their sales are very poor.
He noted that their sales have decreased by more than 50%. “What can we do, everything is so expensive.”
Baitipara resident Dr Sheikh Jahangir Hossain said a month ago he had bought poultry chicken at the rate of Tk125-130 per kg. “All of a sudden the prices have been increased. It is having a negative effect on the market.
Badal, a chicken vendor at Rupsa Bazar in Khulna, reported that the price of chicken has been on the rise for the last month, partly due to a shortage of chicken in the market.
Meanwhile, a poultry chicken farmer Shamsuzzaman Shahin, from Rupsha upazila, said that the price of chicken food has increased as well.
“Two months ago the food which could be bought at Tk30, now has to be bought at Tk43. Besides, the price of chicks has also increased,” he added.
In this regard, Khulna Additional District Livestock Officer Dr Arun Kanti Mondal said that the price of poultry feed has increased at present.
“Corn is a crucial ingredient in chicken feed, and it has to be imported from other countries. Due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the cost of corn has increased significantly from Tk18 to Tk38-42,” he said.
“Apart from this, soybean husks are also imported from other countries. A 100kg chicken feed is primarily composed of 75kg of corn and soybean. The prices of these components have increased abnormally as well,” he added.
According to the data from the Khulna District Livestock Office, there are 2,492 poultry farms in Khulna.
However, according to the information of the owners' association, there are 4,952 poultry farms in the outskirts of the district, out of which almost 1,000 farms have been shut down.
