Trackback URL
Download PDF Broiler chicken and egg sales dropped by half in the city’s kitchen markets due to bird flu panic among the customers, retailers and wholesalers have said.
They said customers fear to buy broilers and eggs though prices have come down by more than 30 percent.
“Egg and fowl sales went down by over 50 percent though prices dipped 30 percent,” Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association Vice-President Shah Habibul Haque told The Daily Star yesterday.
This correspondent found dull business related to chicken and eggs in different kitchen markets, fast food shops and alleyway restaurants in the city during a visit yesterday.
However, customers were found happy as prices of local chicken, mutton and beef remained steady.
A kg broiler was selling at Tk 70 instead of Tk 100 in the city’s kitchen markets yesterday. Price of four eggs was Tk 17, which was Tk 20 a few days back.
“We usually sold 200 fowls a day…but the number is now 80,” Ripon, proprietor of Alin Chicken House at New Market, said.
Demand for broilers has reduced in the markets, Abul Hashem, a seller of Karwan Bazar, said adding the supply has also decreased.
He said his sales dropped to 100 pieces a day from 250 in last few days.
“How could I believe that the broilers found in the markets are bird flu free as bird flu virus is being detected in different farms every day,” said a customer, Habibur Rahman, at New Market.
Wholesalers at Karwan Bazar egg market said they used to get 35 lakh pieces of egg every day but now they could purchase 25 lakh pieces from poultry farms across the country.
Sales also dropped to 10 lakh pieces from 25 lakh every day though wholesale prices of per hundred eggs reduced by Tk 100, said Abdul Awal, a wholesaler.
Fast food sellers at Bashundhara City said that their sales have also dropped due to bird flu panic.
“As most our items are chicken based, we experienced a drastic fall in sales,” said a salesman of Tongue and Tummy at Bashundhara City.
“Usually we sold items worth Tk 30,000 an average a day, which is now downed to Tk 10,000,” he said.
Ariful Islam of Dominous Pizza also said their chicken item sales dropped to 20 pieces from 100 pieces a day.
“I ordered for beef burger instead of my favourite fried chicken,” said a customer at Bashundhara City.
“As bird flu has already been detected in different parts of the country and I am not sure about the origins of chickens…I can not take the risk,” he added.
Comments are not moderated and only expresses personal views of visitors. BangladeshNews.com.bd is not responsible for commets posted by visitors.
Leave a Reply