Costly fuel, demand-supply gap push protein prices up
Kolkata: People in election-bound Bengal are spending more to strike a protein balance in their menu as chicken and mutton prices have spiked again while supply of fish has become erratic. The prices are unlikely to drop before Dol and Holi. A high fuel price, spiralling cost of chicken feed, erratic supply chain and a bird-flu scare have created a demand-supply gap, pushing prices up. The retail price of dressed chicken rose to Rs 250-Rs 260 a kg on Wednesday while the price of mutton price hovered around Rs 750-Rs 800 a kg. Supply of fish has been scanty due to sudden rising temperatures and higher fuel prices.
Price of chicken, the cheapest source of protein, has been fluctuating the most frequently. This is the second time in a month that it rose to the Rs 250-Rs 260 range.
“The price rise is mainly due to the very steep spike in chicken feed price. Globally, corn farming was badly hit due to Covid and now, India has exported a huge amount of the crop, causing a deficit at the domestic level. Since corn and mustard are principal ingredients of poultry feed, cost of manufacturing poultry feed rose by 50%, spiking cost of rearing chicken manifold,” said Madan Maity, secretary of West Bengal Poultry Federation.
