Chicken prices remain high in Kerala as restricted supply from TN blamed for surge

Thiruvananthapuram: Chicken prices continue to soar across the State even after the Christmas and New Year season. Live chicken now costs between ₹160 and ₹190 per kg, while chicken meat is priced between ₹235 and ₹290, crossing ₹300 in some areas. The sharp rise has been most noticeable over the past three weeks.

At KEPCO outlets under the Animal Husbandry Department, fresh chicken is sold at ₹240 per kg and frozen chicken at ₹252. At Kerala Chicken outlets run by Kudumbashree, live chicken was priced at ₹168 in Thiruvananthapuram as of Friday. Before Christmas, live chicken was selling for below ₹140 and chicken meat between ₹210 and ₹220.

Traders blame restrictions on the movement of chicken from Tamil Nadu for the hike. The usual trend of prices dipping during the Sabarimala season did not happen this year. Supermarkets in Thiruvananthapuram are charging ₹275–₹280 for chicken meat. There are also allegations that farm owners in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are deliberately creating shortages to drive up prices, while the government has been accused of failing to step in to rein in the surge.

All Kerala Poultry Federation State General Secretary S K Naseer attributed the rise to a dip in chicken rearing in Tamil Nadu farms with the onset of summer, coupled with farm owners exploiting the crisis by raising prices. In Tamil Nadu, live chicken is currently sold at ₹190.

The price of one-day-old chicks from hatcheries has jumped from ₹30 to ₹56 in the last three weeks. The Federation estimates that 25 lakh kilos of chicken meat is sold daily across Kerala. In Thiruvananthapuram alone, around 2.25 lakh kilos of chicken are sold daily.

Eggs too cost a fortune
Alongside chicken, egg prices are also soaring in Kerala. In the first week of December, white eggs were priced below ₹6. In Thiruvananthapuram, the retail price was between ₹7 and ₹8 yesterday. Traders attribute the surge to rising demand in North India and reduced production in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, the major production hub in South India. Yesterday, white eggs were priced at ₹6.10 in Namakkal, while locally produced eggs cost over ₹10.

Chicken (broiler) price per kilogram in districts (chicken meat, live chicken  new price)

• Thiruvananthapuram: ₹160–₹180 (₹250–₹270)
• Kollam: ₹175–₹180 (₹260–₹270)
• Pathanamthitta: ₹160–₹185 (₹220–₹260)
• Alappuzha: ₹185 (₹280)
• Kottayam: ₹170–₹180 (₹270–₹290)
• Idukki: ₹170 (₹278)
• Ernakulam: ₹190 (₹300–₹305)
• Thrissur: ₹187 (₹300)
• Palakkad: ₹170 (₹270)
• Malappuram: ₹160–₹180 (₹235–₹280)
• Kozhikode: ₹190 (₹290)
• Wayanad: ₹190 (₹280)
• Kannur: ₹186 (₹290)
• Kasaragod: ₹170–₹180 (₹300)