The period between Dussehra and Diwali sees higher consumption of chicken, but not a significant rise in prices. (File)
As Pune residents return to their non-vegetarian meals after the completion of the auspicious Navratri period, they are bound to feel a pinch in their pockets due to the increasing price of chicken.
With the farm gate prices — the price at which poultry farmers sell their produce to retailers — crossing the Rs 100 per kg mark on Monday, retail prices in the city are now nearing Rs 180 per kg.
Industry sources confirm that this is the highest October price recorded in the last few years. The period between Dussehra and Diwali sees higher consumption, but not a significant rise in prices. But this year, the trend has changed, with Monday’s farm gate prices recorded at Rs 102 per kg.
Prasanna Pedgaonkar, deputy general manager of poultry giant Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited, which owns the brand Venkys, said a price rise at this time of the year was unusual. He said the increasing prices could be attributed to a large number of climatic and market conditions. “The ongoing heat wave and water stress in the main poultry belt of Nashik have resulted in a drop in supply, which has led to an increase in prices,” he said.
Supplies have fallen by around 10-15 per cent, at a time when demand is returning to regular levels, said Pedgaonkar. Higher prices of basic inputs, like maize, has also pushed up the cost of production, leading to lower production levels in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Marathwada, and higher farm gate prices.
“Water shortage in these areas has resulted in a dip in production,” said Raghvendra Joshi, chairman of the Aurangabad-based Khadakeshwar Hatcheries. He added that poultry prices were likely to remain high till Diwali.
Vasantkumar Shetty, the convener of the All India Broiler Co-ordination Committee, also said prices would start dropping after Diwali. “After Diwali, as winter sets in, production levels will increase and the market will again reach a state of equilibrium,” he said.