KOLKATA: The scare over supply of dead chicken has led to a dip in prices at farm, wholesale and retail points across the city and rest of the state.
In Kolkata, the farm price of chicken was around Rs 90-95 per kg till a few days back. On Friday it dropped to Rs 88. The wholesale price also dropped to Rs 96, which was around Rs 110 even on Wednesday. According to the
West Bengal Poultry Federation figures, even the retail price of chicken on Friday slumped to Rs 145 from Rs 155-160 a couple of days back.
An apprehensive federation secretary
Madan Mohan Maity said, “If this scare continues, the business will suffer a setback. We are production surplus state that consumes 2.2 crore kg of chicken every week. We have witnessed a drop of around 5% in processed chicken.”
According to trade sources, the dip in demand of processed chicken could hit big market chains that buy them in bulk. While a cross section of such outlets TOI spoke to said they had sufficient stocks to tide over crisis, Maity didn’t share this optimism. “In the immediate run, there is no shortage. But if this persists we could stare at a crisis,” he said.
The reason for the slump is not hard to gauge. Several Kolkatans are now insisting on buying live chicken. Many homemakers who prefer malls have started visiting their local markets to buy chicken. Shraddha Mukherjee, a homemaker from Lake Road, said: “Earlier I would buy all my supplies from a super market. But since the news broke, I have stopped doing that. I visit the local market and buy live chicken now,” said Mukherjee.
People who cannot do without their daily chicken roll and fried wings are sticking to reputable brands. Aniruddha Dutta, a school teacher and a roll lover, is staying clear from roadside eateries. “We never know what quality of chicken they are selling. If I eat at all, I prefer big eateries,” said Dutta.
Admitting a “slight drop” in sales, Satish Kumar of Kusum Rolls on Park Street said he was not facing any problem in procuring chicken since he bought only live chicken. “People who supply the chicken to us have said there was no crisis yet,” said Kumar.
File Photo
