AMMAN — In
March, the government put in place a price ceiling on poultry to keep chicken
affordable following public outcry.
As a result, farmers are selling their goods
at a loss of JD0.3 per kilogram due to the public’s weak purchasing power
according to a board member of the
Jordanian Poultry Producers Association.
اضافة اعلان
Board member
Hassan Bu Diqer told
Jordan
News that the association noted a decrease in demand for poultry “after Eid
Al-Adha ... while the demand for meat increased”.
He said that “the local market consumes about
700,000 birds daily” but that farmers produce “up to 800,000 birds per day”.
According to Abu Diqer, roughly 600,000
chickens are processed in slaughterhouses while 200,000–250,000 chickens are
sold unprocessed.
About 12,000–13,000 egg cartons are produced
domestically every day, but only 9,000–10,000 are consumed, he said, adding
that in the past there were export markets that “are currently closed”. The
2,000 egg carton surplus has nowhere to go, as eggs “cannot be stored”
indefinitely.
... In the past there were export markets that “are currently closed”. The 2,000 egg carton surplus has nowhere to go, as eggs “cannot be stored” indefinitely.
“Farmers hardly make a living,” farmer
Bassel Ramadneh told
Jordan News. “Production costs are very high and profits
are very low.”
Compared to neighboring countries chicken
prices in Jordan are “very reasonable”, he said, adding that they are also “of
a very high quality”.
According to Ramadneh, farmers’ losses are not
just due to the public’s weak purchasing power but also high production costs.
“If these losses continue many farmers will leave he profession”, he said,
adding that this will lead to a poultry shortage in the future.
The government should monitor and remove
obstacles imposed on farmers, he stressed, “especially the high tax levied on
production inputs, which contributes to the increase of poultry prices”.
He said that the government needs to help
farmers, who should not be made to pay the higher prices of inputs such as
fodder. “The government should support the sector; especially that we, in
Jordan, have self-sufficiency in poultry, and must preserve it.”
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