Poultry vendors in Hyderabad are facing heavy losses due to the bird flu threat.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

The bird flu scare in Hyderabad has led to a sharp decline in chicken prices with demand plummeting, while red meat prices have surged following an increasing consumer shift. Poultry vendors are facing heavy losses, while mutton sellers are struggling to keep up with the soaring demand, especially with Ramzan approaching.

Syed Hashmi, owner of Taj Chicken Centre in Baba Nagar Colony, Mallapur, highlighted the drastic drop in sales: “Chicken prices have fallen from ₹210 to ₹195 per kilogram, but even that isn’t helping. I usually sell around 200 chickens a day, but now I am struggling to sell even 10, even on a Sunday.”

Another vendor from Venkatapuram noted the sharp price fluctuations. “Mutton was earlier being sold at ₹700 per kilogram, but now it is ₹900-1,000. Chicken, which was ₹240 per kilogram, has dropped to ₹190. Even egg prices have fallen— from ₹190 per tray (30 eggs) about 15 days ago to ₹155 now,” he said.

A mutton vendor with outlets across Alwal shared how business has changed dramatically: “Last Sunday, we brought in 20 goats, and they were sold out by noon. Before COVID-19, we used to stock 18-20 goats on Sundays, which lasted the entire day. Even after the pandemic, Sunday demand was around 15 goats. But now, the demand is skyrocketing. Chicken was our biggest seller, making up for 60-70% of sales. With that gone, mutton prices are bound to go up.”

With Ramzan approaching, vendors are bracing for even higher prices. “Rates could touch ₹1,000-1,500 per kilogram during the festive season. In KPHB, mutton is already selling for ₹1,200 per kilogram. We are currently selling it for ₹900 a kilogram and ₹1,100 for boneless mutton. This Sunday alone, we sold 244 kilograms. Next Sunday, we will have to figure out how to meet the soaring demand,” said another vendor.

Explaining the supply chain challenges, he added, “We source mutton from Maharashtra, as it has the best quality after Telangana. It arrives in Cherlapally before reaching us. This Sunday, we ordered one quintal of chicken but couldn’t even sell that. Usually, we sell three quintals every Sunday.”