Expert explains ‘brouhaha’ over chicken prices

Santo Domingo.- The price of chicken is returning to their previous levels, poultry consultant Enriquillo Rivas affirmed Mon., noting that the in-farm pound of live birds went down to RD$16.00 three months ago, which he says caused losses of RD$1.0 billion to poultry farmers.

He said traders never dropped the price of frozen and fresh chicken from 26 to 32 pesos per pound and the large supermarket chains kept the price between 49 and 52 pesos per pound chopped and wrapped.

“The maximum prices of chicken in butcher shops since June were: I live at RD$36.62, fresh RD$45.80; July: RD$36.08 and RD$45.26; August, at RD$33.18 and RD$ 41.57; September at RD$26.14 and RD$32.67; October to RD$29.75 and RD$37.29. On average live at RD$32.35 and fresh RD$40.52,” Rivas said.

“In these days there is a “brouhaha” between government agencies and poultry producers with the subsequent echo of the media. Reason: the price of chicken.”

“It’s an unfair concern, because you have to understand numbers and situations.”Firstly, it is said to have gone up ten pesos per pound. True: just 3 months ago the price plunged by half, was 30 pesos live on farms and reached 16 pesos per pound. We must take into account that a live chicken of 4 and a half pounds slaughtered loses 20% in feathers, blood, guts, legs and neck, net 3.6 pounds on which they must recover acquisition costs, administrative, processing, packaging, cold, transport and profitability.”