Hyderabad: With bird flu confirmed in ten states across the country, the sale of chicken and poultry products has been the worst-hit. Mutton prices have soared up between Rs. 1000- Rs. 1200 per kilogram.
Though there are no traces of bird flu in Telangana, the demand for chicken and chicken, products have decreased by more than 70 per cent and the prices have dropped by 50 per cent, meat vendors in the city said.
Speaking to siasat.com, the meat shop owners said that the demand for mutton has increased in the last two days.
For the last two weeks after the bird flu was reported, there have been brisk sales of mutton. People are not buying chicken out of fear. “In winter season, the supply of goat in Telangana is very less; so, it comes from north India. High demand there led to less supply and prices flared up in the last few days in the city,” said Mohammad Mushtaq, owner of a meat shop in Malakpet.
He further adds, “We were selling at Rs. 600/kg, but because of the bird flu and less supply, the price now went up to Rs. 800.” The prices are observed to be varying in different parts of the city.
According to Chandrasekhar, the owner of a chicken center in the city said that “We have already suffered severe losses during COVID-19 lockdown with a decrease in poultry products and now, the poultry industry is hit by bird flu fears. I used to sell at least 2 quintals of chicken a day and now it fell to 50-60 kg.”
