There have been major changes in chicken prices in Kolkata. For dressed chickens, the prices have been slashed by almost Rs 120, while for whole chickens prices have been reduced by Rs 60-70. On Sunday, the West Bengal Poultry Federation announced that in the second week of July, dressed chicken was sold at the rate of Rs 300 per kg and the price of whole chicken per kg was Rs 180, while this weekend the price of dressed chicken has reduced to Rs 180-190 kg and the price of whole chicken is Rs 110-120.
Chicken prices had been on the rise since the middle of April due to an overdrawn spell of hot weather and the general elections which made the demand shoot up. The slashing of prices is a respite for some considering the prices of certain fish varieties and vegetables have been steadily ramping up in the past weeks.
Since seafood is scarce during monsoons and seasonal picks like hilsa are priced quite steeply, chicken is a go-to source of protein for most. And there are a couple of factors which are driving down the prices of this staple. Quite a few communities opt for a vegetarian diet during the Shravan month. Moreover, the dip in temperatures has also increased the supply of chicken around the city.
"The weather has cooled down to a large extent, which has led to an increase in the supply of chicken, reducing the price by several notches," said S Biswas, deputy CEO of the West Bengal Poultry Federation. "The ongoing Shravan month has also impacted the demand, bringing down the prices as several sections avoid non-vegetarian food during this time," Biswas added.