Poultry, vegetable prices on boil as summer heat hits production in Rayalaseema

Summer heat leads to price surge in vegetables, pulses, and chicken, impacting nutrition access and prompting government intervention.

Come summer, the decline in vegetable and pulse production has led to their increased demand and a price rise. An increase in poultry prices due to intense heat during the period has also pushed buyers to prefer vegetables and pulses over chicken, further adding to the increase in demand and, therefore, a surge in prices. As a cumulative effect, access to nutrition for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians has reduced significantly.

At present, most pulses are priced at around ₹200 per kg, chicken ₹300 per kg. The prices of tomatoes range from ₹35 to ₹60 per kg and that of carrots, beetroot, and brinjal have also skyrocketed, ranging from ₹80 to ₹100 per kg.

The intense summer heat has also significantly contributed to the exponential rise of chicken prices.

The recent bout of extreme summer heat appears to have taken a toll on chicken farms, especially in rural Rayalaseema, resulting in significant losses for poultry farmers. Reports indicate that approximately 20% of poultry birds have perished due to the extreme summer heat.

Adding to the woes of the poultry farmers, the purchased birds have reportedly failed to gain weight due to the extreme heat conditions. Under normal conditions, both broiler and country chickens can reach up to 2kg in weight. However, due to the current weather conditions, the birds have not been showing significant weight gain, say the poultry farmers.

With temperature hoevring around 43°­C to 48°C in the Rayalaseema districts and in other States like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and West Bengal, the chicken production has seen a notable decline this year, according to sources.

On the other hand, the consumption of chicken in the district, particularly in areas like Madanapalle, Rayachoti and Rajampeta, has increased. Furthermore, the price of country chicken exceeded ₹750 per kg, leading to the chicken traders heavily relying on broiler chicken meat even in rural areas.