Expensive feed, increasing temps keep chicken pricey

Hyderabad: A plate of scrumptious chicken biryani or grilled chicken may now cost you more, thanks to rise in chicken prices. From less than 180 per kg over the last fortnight, the retail price of chicken is now touching 280-300, amid rising cost of poultry feed and a dip in production across Telangana.“The price of chicken, which is almost a staple for us, has increased by almost by 50%. Every Sunday, our entire family comes together and cooks either chicken biryani or chicken curry. But now, the cost of a home-cooked gravy is as much as it is in restaurants,” said

Aruna Mudiraj

, a resident of Alwal. Poulterers attributed the increase in prices to the rise in prices of poultry feed and farmers were unable to keep up with the production levels, due to the soaring temperature.“Prices of feed such as soybean and corn has increased quite a bit in the last few days. Birds require stable temperature during day and night for survival. Varying temperature has increased the mortality rate among birds, thereby reducing the supply,” said

Ranjit Reddy

, president of

Telangana Poultry Breeders Association

.According to sources, the cost of soybean doubled from 40 to 70 per kg and that of corn increased from 18 to 27 per kg.While Telangana consumes two crore of broiler chicken per month, industry experts said that the price of chicken may not come down anytime soon, forcing people to look for alternative options for protein.“The prices may be stable or even increase. After the pandemic, the consumption of chicken has increased substantially as many doctors recommended it for better immunity. So if the supply is low and the consumption is high, the prices will tend to increase,” said

KG Anand

, general manager of

Venkateshwara Hatcheries

.