Goa: Chicken rates down by Rs 10/kg on poor sales

PANAJI: After the state banned the entry of chickens into Goa from neighbouring states, the resultant shortage of the white meat coupled with poor response from consumers has led to a decrease in chicken rates in the local market. Chicken was selling for Rs 140-150 per kg until a few days ago.
Most vendors have brought the prices down by Rs 10 on every kg of chicken – owing to which live chicken is going at Rs 129 per kg on wholesale rate and Rs 139 in retail.
“The consumption has reduced out of panic among customers. Due to this, sales have reduced, and we have to store the birds for a longer period of time which has led to a shrinkage or loss of weight among the chickens,” said a vendor, Alfredo Dias.
The cold snub from consumers has led some vendors to cut the prices by almost half.
Salhauddin Shaikh, a vendor from Panaji market was selling broilers for Rs 80 per kg on Thursday and local (gaavti) chicken for Rs 200 per kg. Despite this, he struggled to find buyers.
“The market is fully down yet we will continue to keep our shops open. We still have live chickens that were supplied to us prior to the ban order from the collector. Until we sell the last bird, we will have to keep the shop shutters up,” Shaikh said.
The hostility from buyers in some cases has reached a level of comic absurdity. Siolim-based Rixon Fernandes had an instance on Thursday wherein a customer who was unaware of the avian influenza outbreak in other states arrived at his store to purchase chicken and left the meat behind after she heard from other customers about the flu.
“I had no choice but to take the fresh meat home for my own consumption. There is fear in people’s minds even though well-cooked chicken is safe for consumption,” he said. The rates at his store had come down to Rs 125 per kg.