Poultry prices rise ahead of Christmas

Kampala. Poultry prices around Kampala markets have gone up by between Shs3,000 and Shs4,000 due to the festive season.
Depending on size, Mr Eric Kugonza, a local chicken seller in St. Balikuddembe market, says the small chicken that he used to sell at Shs15,000 recently, now goes for Shs18,000 while a big mature cock costs between Shs25,000 and Shs30,000.
Mr Kugonza says local birds are expensive to buy in rural areas due to the festive season where majority of people with money from towns are travelling there and giving the same competitive prices like the dealers.
“During Christmas, people in the villages are equally rich like those from towns. Many save money for the season making it hard for the dealers to get chicken at a good price,” he says.
Kugonza says the high price for local poultry is due to low supply yet there is growing demand in most urban areas.
“Local chickens take about eight months to mature yet the demand for them is enormous, so you do not expect them to be cheap,” he said.
On a good note though, he says off-layer birds cost between Shs13,000 and Shs15,000 each depending on size but their demand is mainly from low income earners.
Mr George Ssenyonga, another poultry seller in Nakasero market, says Christmas comes with high costs of transportation especially from urban centres to the villages and they have to increase the prices of each chicken to recover their inputs.
“We are doing business. If you do not make money this season like other people are doing, when will you make it again?” Mr Ssenyonga says.
During Christmas period, many people have disposal incomes and this increases demand of different commodities resulting into soaring prices but after the festive season, most commodities’ rates normalise.

Poultry production
Poultry production in Uganda increased by 3.2 per cent in 2012 according to the 2013 statistical abstract of Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The same report shows that the number of birds grew from 42.7 million birds in 2010 to 44.3 million in 2011 and 45.9 million last year.

Numbers
Shs30,000
Highest amount of money you will pay for a mature cock.