The price of chicken meat has recorded a decline of Rs 120 per kilogram in the retail market and is currently available at Rs 240 per kg against Rs 360 per kg a few weeks ago. Retailers said that the sharp decline enabled a large segment of the society to afford the white meat. Trader attributed the decline to prevailing declining demand in the market.
However, some of the retailers said that the prices of live bird and its meat were cut to attract people to purchase more and more as sale of chicken meat is declining sharply. It is a general trend in Pakistan that overwhelming majority of consumers purchase chicken meat in bulk and stores in refractor and fridge and consumes it in piecemeal. Consumption of chicken meat also came down with the reduction in demand for chicken corn soup and fried chicken items etc during hot weather.
Karachiites consume around 400,000 poultry birds daily when prices are high. When live bird and its meat prices decline the daily demand reaches up to 450,000-500,000 birds. But nowadays, the consumption shows decline. Traders in different markets of the city said it is general trend that chicken meat demand increase before of Eid-ul Fitr and it started to decline ahead of Eid-ul Azha. Retailers said that demand for chicken meat has sharply declined in retail markets of Karachi far before Eid-ul Azha and it will remain sluggish till Aashure.
