With the fresh adjustment, price of chicken in capital has reached Rs 235 per kg. Similarly, price of live chicken has increased by Rs 10 per kg to Rs 185 per kg.[break]
A joint meeting of Kathmandu-based poultry farmers, entrepreneurs and retailers took the decision to raise prices. Janga Bahadur BC, president of National Chicken Sellers´ Association, said they had to raise prices due to low supply from farms. Farmers have reduced the number of chicks in their farms after bird flu was reported in some farms in the Kathmandu Valley and eastern Nepal, he added.
Entrepreneurs in other parts of the country also reduced number of chicks in their farms following bird flu outbreak.
“Most of the farmers in the capital reduced the number of chicks in their farms after bird flu was confirmed at a farm in Bhaktapur. This led to drop in supplies and subsequent rise in price,” BC explained. He, however, expected supplies to pick up in the coming days as farmers have already started increasing the number of chicks in their farms.
According to entrepreneurs, demand for chicken generally drops by 10 to 15 percent during summer. “We have been facing difficulty in arranging supplies because demand is still strong in the market,” added BC.
Daily consumption of chicken in the capital hovers around 200,000kg to 250,000 kg. Farms are presently supplying just about 200,000 kg of chicken in the market, according to the association.
Retailers in the capital source chicken from farms in the Kathmandu Valley, Dhading, Kavre and Chitwan, among others.
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