Russia-Ukraine war triggers rise in chicken prices in Telangana

Hyderabad: The chicken curry on your dining table has become a little more costly, thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is indirectly contributing to the increase in prices of chicken in the State with a kg of the meat being sold at around Rs 280 a kg. The same was […]

Hyderabad: The chicken curry on your dining table has become a little more costly, thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is indirectly contributing to the increase in prices of chicken in the State with a kg of the meat being sold at around Rs 280 a kg. The same was priced around Rs 180 a kg last month.

Poultry breeders say one of the reasons for the increase in the price is the rise in prices of chicken feed across the country. Corn and soybean mostly form part of the feed. A kg of soya bean now costs around Rs 70 as against Rs 40 a few weeks ago while a kg of corn is now priced at Rs 27 as against the earlier Rs 20, and is expected to further increase to around Rs 30 a kg.

“Farmers from India, who supplied their produce locally, are now exporting corn and soybean to other countries following huge demand in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Actually, Ukraine is one of the largest producers of soybean and corn and after the exports from that country were affected due to ongoing crisis there, companies are tapping the Indian market,” said KG Anand, general manager, Venkateshwara Hatcheries.

The poultry breeders association feels that the current situation will continue for the next few months in view of summer also. “In summer, there is high mortality of chicken. This apart, a huge loss was caused due to the pandemic and lockdowns. The current high costs of chicken feed are also contributing to the price rise,” a member of the Telangana Poultry Breeders Association said.

The increase in the price has hit hoteliers in the city too. “We are preparing and dispensing the chicken dishes on a no profit-no loss basis. A few hotels have closed their Chinese fast-food outlets too,” said Mohd Irfan, proprietor of Shah Ghouse Hotel at Tolichowki. Mohd Shahed Hussain, a resident of the old city said that following the increase in the price of fish and mutton, people were preferring chicken, also considering it an immunity booster in view of the pandemic. “Slowly, chicken is also going out of reach for middle-class families,” he added.