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Poultry farms hit

by potent diseases:

price rise expected

KARACHI: Prices of broiler chicken and eggs will further rise as the two potent diseases have badly affected poultry farms in Karachi and its adjacent areas.

This was stated by the President of Karachi Wholesalers Poultry Association (KWPA), Malik Fida Hussain in an interview to APP here on Saturday. The broiler chicken (live) is being sold at Rs.54 per kg in the market whereas prepared chicken meat is available at Rs 98 per kg.

One dozen of eggs is sold for Rs.17 while one crate of eggs is sold for Rs.464. Meat of layer chiken is being sold at Rs.72 per kg whereas layer chicken (live) is sold for Rs 36 per kg.

He said that New Castle Disease (NCD) and Infection Bursal Disease (IBD) have killed almost all the chicks and breeders in Karachi, Abottabad and Murree, causing their shortage.

He said breeders were in colder areas of Abottabad and Murree to save them from the lot summer but a sudden change of weather in these two place skilled breeders last months.

This raised the prices of chicks and breeders in the city from Rs.5 per chick two month ago to Rs.17 per chick these days.

He said the diseases are likely to continue for another one and half month and increase in the prices of chicken meat an eggs will continue for another two months.

He said marriage season is continued and demand for chicken meat is increasing day-by-day as poultry meat was still cheaper than mutton which is sold at Rs.110 per kg in the market.

He said chicken and eggs are not available in the city and demand is met through Punjab and interior of Sindh where diseases have very negligible affect on poultry products.-APP