Decreased demand brings down chicken, egg prices

AMMAN — Following reduced demand for chicken and eggs, their prices dropped by almost 30 per cent, according to member of the Jordanian Poultry Producers Association Hassan Abu Daqar.

In a statement made available to The Jordan Times, Abu Daqar said that “an increase in poultry production and lower demand, led to the decrease in chicken prices”, adding that the number of chicken farms in Jordan currently stands at 2,689.

Commenting on the drop in poultry prices, Omar Awwad, president of the Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweet Shops Owners, told The Jordan Times that this would ease the burden on restaurant owners “who have been shouldering the increase in operational costs for quite a long time”.

Awwad said that restaurants heavily rely on chicken which is the primary product for a large number of food businesses. 

He pointed out that sector operators are still struggling with higher costs for sunflower and palm cooking oil, frozen foods, and other food items.

The price of one kilogramme of fresh chicken is now JD2.09 and the price of frozen chicken is JD1.89, Ahmad Al Khatib, owner of a shop selling poultry, said.  

“Demand now is much less when compared with the past two months,” he added.

Mohammad Subhi, an employee at a local restaurant that serves shawerma, said that “decreased chicken prices will not have an immediate positive effect on restaurants”.