60% of small-scale poultry farmers pull back operations due to rising production costs — association

AMMAN — Around 60 per cent of small-scale poultry farmers have ceased their operations due to increased production costs, according to Abdul Shakoor Jamjoom, president of the Poultry Breeders Association.

“Usually, small-scale poultry farmers are in weaker positions when chicken feed prices soar, and currently they cannot bear further costs,” Jamjoom told The Jordan Times. 

The impacts of climate change on poultry and agriculture production are among the reasons for the price increases, he said.

Poultry production is sensitive to the continuous weather changes which impose consequences upon chickens’ growth and availability, Jamjoom added. 

According to the association president, small-scale chicken housing systems tend not to be sealed, leaving chickens unprotected from seasonal temperature changes.

Jamjoom highlighted the need for strengthened organisation within the sector in order to support poultry breeders and ensure the long-term viability of their businesses.

“It is expensive nowadays to raise chickens, the prices of the feed and vaccine doses are just too much,” Fida Ali, who raises broiler chickens, told The Jordan Times.

Ali speculated that the factor driving the poultry price increases “is that the sector is not being governed by certain measures”.

The Consumer Protection Society (CPS), in a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Sunday, said that it has received a significant number of complaints in the past week regarding increased poultry prices and supermarkets shelves being stripped of various chicken products.

The CPS called for increased inspections in markets to ensure there is no price gouging occurring.