Move by suppliers to increase poultry prices

Despite the government’s efforts to enhance food security, control markets, and avoid any shortage of basic commodities, consumers have been complaining about the continued scarcity of chicken in cooperative societies and parallel markets, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Inspection teams of several government agencies, including the Committee on the Food Security System, conducted a tour recently after an increase in the complaints from consumers and officials of cooperative societies alike about the great shortage of chicken and chicken products.

The tour, which was launched under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Social Affairs in some cooperative societies, revealed an abundance of some products and a severe shortage in others, especially local poultry products.

The tour revealed the existence of an artificial crisis by some supplier companies, which refrained from supplying the markets with its products in order to increase the prices by 20 percent. This was confirmed to the daily by officials.

On the sidelines of the tour, the commercial advisor to the Zahra Cooperative Society Abdul Rasoul Sarkhouh disclosed that the problem in the shortage of poultry and the current crisis is an artificial one caused by local poultry companies, which are refraining from providing supermarkets with their products due to their request for an increase in prices.

He added, “We rejected this demand to increase the poultry prices. Consequently, some local companies refused to supply, which created a shortage in the quantities required for display within cooperative societies. At the same time, the products of companies are widely available and cover a long period.