Poultry farmers get their feathers ruffled
Egypt decision to import chicken hurt farmers’ profits since local supply covers market demand
An oversupply of frozen imported chickens on the Egyptian market has resulted in a drop in prices by almost half, raising fears about public health.
The chickens, mainly imported from Brazil and Ukraine, retail for 17 Egyptian pounds (Dh3.50) each at governmentrun outlets and private supermarkets. The price is lower by 12 pounds of the original tag, a cut that local poultry breeders and their union has called unfair competition.
“Large quantities of frozen chickens have recently been imported without proper studies. This has made reducing their prices unavoidable because their expiry dates are about to end,” Abdul Aziz Al Sayed, the head of the Poultry Breeders at the Chamber of Commerce, said.
Excess supply
He told Gulf News that the Supply Ministry, responsible for making goods available on the local market has in recent months imported nearly 200,000 tons of frozen poultry, although local supply covers 95 per cent of the country’s needs.
“The local market needs no more than 70,000 tons of imported poultry. This haphazard importing wastes the country’s hard currency reserves and destroys the national poultry industry,” Al Sayyed added.
He also warned against health hazards after mobile vehicles were seen in some parts of the populous country selling the imported chickens at even lower prices.
“These vehicles are not equipped with refrigeration to keep the chicken at temperatures that do not allow bacteria to be active.”
The glut has compelled retailers of locally grown chickens to sell them by 22 pounds per kilo against 32 pounds in the past month, a move they say has caused heavy losses to their business.
The government has rushed to confirm that the imported chickens are fit for human consumption.
“Some interest groups are propagating baseless rumours after prices of [imported] poultry have been reduced,” Supply Minister Ali Al Muselhi said.
“The rumour-mongers are harmed by the ministry’s efforts to reduce prices of commodities and make them available to citizens,” he added in a statement.
Al Muselhi’s ministry has urged the public to buy the imported chickens at authorised outlets only in order to “guarantee their quality”.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with nearly 95 million people, has seen an upsurge in prices of different goods, including food, after the local pound was floated and fuel subsidy cut in late 2016 as part of harsh economic reforms.
The government has since sought to ease the knock-on effects of the measures by expanding a rationing system that offers food items at subsidised prices.
The Health Ministry has said the imported chickens had been thoroughly examined before being allowed into the country and are fit for human consumption.
The controversy has taken a political turn as some progovernment media has accused online platforms allegedly linked to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood of spreading false news about the imported chickens with the aim of discrediting the government of President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi and triggering public panic.
Customers remain divided.
Enjoying both
“When the government does well, we have to praise it for this,” said Alaa Mohammad, a civil servant. “Its initiative to reduce the price of chickens in the market is good for the people who cannot afford the prices of the local chickens,” he said.
Mohammad, a father of two, added that he had bought three Brazilian chickens from a supermarket after he found that their sell-by dates expire in May.
Zeinab Fathi, a housewife, sounds cautious.
“My family likes the baladi [locally grown] chicken. Their tasty flesh and soup makes it worth paying more for them,” she told Gulf News.
“Frozen fowls are preferred by women, who work because they can stock up on them and cook them when they need,” she added. “I prefer to buy and cook fresh food.”