After facing major crisis at the beginning of the lockdown, the poultry industry in Maharashtra is limping back to normalcy. The market is facing a shortage with prices increasing by 20-40 per cent.

At the beginning of the lockdown, rumours and false news items linking chicken consumption with coronavirus infection led to a massive decline in prices. Wholesalers had slashed prices of a live bird by almost 80 per cent to ₹15-20 a kg, but still there were no takers.

Today, the wholesale prices have increased to ₹100-125 per kg, while last year they were in the range of ₹80-90.

Vasant Kumar Shette, President of Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association, said that the market is coming back to normalcy but still the consumption has not increased to the earlier levels. Restaurants and canteens are not fully functioning and workers have migrated to other States. Today, the hike in prices at the wholesale and retail market is due to supply-side constraints.

At the beginning of the lockdown, due to rumours, the poultry market fell to such an extent that the farmers and chicken breeders had to either cull the birds or release them in open. Today’s market shortage is due to such steps. Only the poultry farm owners with cash on hand are again investing in business, while others are still waiting for normalcy to return, he said.

Chicken meat supplier, Altaf Khan from Chembur in suburban Mumbai, said that customers have to wait because of shortages. However, they prefer to wait rather than consuming frozen meat.

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