Producers warn chicken could rise to RD$150/lb

Moca, DR — The president of the Association of Small Poultry Producers of Moca-Licey (Approamoli), Ambiorix Cabrera, warned that the selling price of chicken could increase significantly starting next week.

According to Cabrera, the price is expected to rise to 150 pesos per pound, noting that in the southern part of the country it is already being marketed at that price.

Cabrera states that this price increase is due to the current chicken shortage in the national territory.

He explained that the association has repeatedly tried to meet with President Luis Abinader to address the poultry issue and plan the sector, but this has proved impossible.

“This is a very stubborn government and everything is done under the table, the secretary of agriculture gave the sector to eight companies,” Cabrera stressed, indicating that only a small group is benefiting from poultry production.

He also assured that the big companies sell chickens at 50 and 60 pesos at the farm.

First Christmas without chicken

Cabrera also expressed concern about what could be “the first Christmas without chicken” in the country, due to low cash flow and the price increase, which will make chicken less affordable than in previous years.

“The chicken was sold because it was an affordable product for the people, however, there is no money either,” he clarified about the situation.

The most affected

Small and medium producers have always been the most affected due to speculation in chicken prices, which, according to Cabrera, “have been designed so that a small group can keep everything.”

Shortages

Recently, the Confederation of Commerce of Provisions and SMEs of the Dominican Republic expressed concern about what they consider a shortage in the commercialization of chicken and the tendency for its price to rise. This union criticized the management of the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government regarding the situation in the poultry sector and the high prices of the products in the basic basket.

“This happens because it is a government without planning, and the Ministry of Agriculture seems to be an inheritance left to the incumbent, who has done nothing but destroy the agricultural sector by its mismanagement, which everyone knows, except by the authorities of the National Palace, Luna said in a note.

Rise is felt in the provinces.

In Barahona, a pound of chicken is currently being sold at RD$95.00, five pesos more than last week, when it was marketed at RD$90.00, representing an increase of approximately 5.56%. However, prices vary by locality. In the municipality of Jaquimeyes, for example, the pound reaches RD$110.00, according to Listín Diario, based on consultations with sellers and consumers.

In Pedernales, the pound is sold around RD$100.00, although it can increase in more remote communities, reported journalist Alberto Odalis Baez.

This increase, a few days before Christmas Eve, affects the budgets of families, especially those with lower incomes, for whom chicken is the most accessible protein.