Chicken Prices Take Wing In Seema, Cross ₹300/Kg In Retail Markets

Skinless chicken is currently being sold between ₹300 and ₹320 per kg, a steep rise from ₹260-₹270 just a few days ago. Mutton prices too have risen, touching ₹850 per kg in retail markets. Consumers say the sudden spike has made non-vegetarian food increasingly unaffordable.

Traders attribute the price rise primarily to supply shortages triggered by extreme summer temperatures.

“Due to high temperatures, chickens are unable to withstand the heat. Mortality rates have increased, and production has dropped significantly, leading to a mismatch between demand and supply,” said M. Shivananda, a poultry farm operator from Kurnool district. He maintains that even the current prices are not very encouraging for them.

The impact is visible across neighbouring districts as well. In Nandyal and Kadapa, both chicken and egg prices have climbed in a similar pattern. Eggs are now retailing at ₹70 to ₹80 per dozen.

Retailers say they are being forced to pass on the higher input costs to customers. “We are procuring chicken at higher prices from poultry farms. Selling below ₹300 per kg is not viable for us,” said Shaik Hussain Peera, a chicken mart owner from Nandyal.

The spike comes at a time when households are already grappling with rising costs of essential commodities. Prices of cooking oil, pulses and LPG have increased in recent months, partly influenced by global factors such as the Iran conflict.

Vegetable prices, too, are on the rise with the onset of summer. Tomatoes, which had once been sold for as low as ₹4 per kg, are now priced between ₹40 and ₹50 per kg.

With multiple food items witnessing price hikes, consumers say managing monthly expenses is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for middle- and low-income families.