Retail price of chicken soars to P210/kilo

MANILA, Philippines — The retail price of chicken went up to P210 per kilo amid the drop in local production as poultry raisers suffered losses amid the flooding of imported frozen products, according to the poultry raisers’ group United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA).

In an interview with The STAR, UBRA and Philippine Egg Board chairman Gregorio San Diego said the farmgate price of chicken started to go up on Nov. 16 as many poultry raisers decided to halt their operations after suffering huge losses due to slump in live weight cost.

In an earlier interview, San Diego reported that the farmgate price of chicken has reached as low as P68 per kilo.

“Many (poultry raisers) were forced to suspend raising chicks as no less than the Department of Agriculture (DA) said that there is a surplus (in the supply) 115 days after the imported chicken as of October (2023) reached 32 million kilos,” San Diego said.

According to San Diego, based on data from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), there was a 10 percent increase in the total frozen chicken importation from January to October 2023, with 359,340,308 kilos compared to 327,680,597 kilos in the same period of 2022.

“Traditionally, poultry raisers prepare for the holiday season and buy chicks. Normally, during this time, chicks are no longer available but until now, you can still buy,” San Diego said.

San Diego added that the retail price of P210 per kilo of chicken in the markets is still high.

“The highest farmgate price is P114 (per kilo). If you deliver that in the market and you incur additional cost, it will be around P165 (per kilo), so the P210 (per kilo) is still high,” he said.

He said that consumers still prefer fresh chicken over imported frozen products which have been kept in cold storage facilities for a long time.

At the same time, San Diego said the arrival of frozen imported chicken continues.

“We are preparing a draft (letter) and we hope the Senate will finally investigate this (over importation) even after December,” San Diego said, referring to the Senate committee on agriculture and food chaired by Sen. Cynthia Villar.

San Diego said importers take advantage of the expected increase in