Scarce supply and soaring prices: Iraqi poultry products racing the stock exchange

Shafaq News / It seems that chicken and table egg prices have become a dollar-style stock exchange in local markets. Similar to the dollar that is not owned by the poor, chicken and egg became out of reach of the poor after they were their main meal in light of the high prices of meat and other food.

Agriculture and lack of control

The Agriculture Ministry attributed the gradual rise of table egg and chicken prices to chaos and lack of security control.

"The lack of security control that prevents monopoly by some traders is behind the high prices of chicken and egg in local markets," ministry spokesman Hamid Al-Nayef told Shafaq News agency, "Egg and chicken producers have responded to the ministry's request to fix egg and chicken prices."

"Poultry owners have also been affected by the rise in the dollar, which has been reflected in the high prices of feed, vaccines, and other materials, some of which have been twice as high as before," Al-Nayef said, adding, "Opening up imports at the moment means the elimination of support and the collapse of the entire poultry sector in Iraq."

Al-Nayef called on citizens to be patient as large quantities of chicken and egg will be provided in the coming period, "All goods and food have risen and not only egg or chickens."

Traders: Quantities are small

While the Ministry of Agriculture stated that weak security controls caused prices to rise as a result of traders' monopoly on these goods, some traders stressed that the high prices were the result of a lack of supply.

"The chicken and egg products on offer in Jamila, known for selling wholesale food, are few compared to what has existed in recent months," Muhannad Fawzi, owner of al-Karrar, a food and meat shop, told Shafaq News agency.

"The price of one box of chicken (containing ten chicken) is now sold for 68,000 dinars, up from 45,000 dinars two months ago, and the price of local chicken's parcel has risen to 75,000 dinars," he said.

"The price of local white egg's parcel is now 74,000 dinars, while the price of red egg's parcel is 78,000 dinars," Fawzi said, noting that the eggs rose by 3,000 dinars at the wholesale price in just two days before Eid al-Fitr.

Economist: Opening limited imports

"The prices of poultry products depend on two main elements, the first is the cost of production which is linked to many imported products such as vaccines, some concentrated feed, and some productive breeds," economist Dhurgham Mohammed Ali told Shafaq News agency, "The second element is supply and demand; if production does not cover demand, the price will rise under competition law."

Ali pointed, "If we start importing, it should be limited and tightly controlled because the Iraqi market was mired in a cheap imported product that is not fit for consumption. So, the price is not the only necessary thing, but the quality and the product's expiry duration."

Citizens: Conspiracy theory exists

While the Agriculture Ministry refuses to reopen imports, some citizens said that this step was intended to make the rich richer at the expense of the poor, "The Ministry of Agriculture is thinking of the trader by supporting the private sector at the expense of the poor citizen," Ameer Mohammed Al-Hasani told Shafaq News agency.

"The prices of egg's dozen have risen to 7,000 dinars and chicken to more than 8,000 dinars. These prices are not commensurate with the ability of the poor citizen or even the middle classes," he said.

For his part, Ali Aref- a civilian- said, "There is a beneficial agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and poultry owners; they may even be partners in production and marketing."

Aref pointed out that in all countries, there are importers and local producers in markets, "If the ministry is serious about lowering prices, it should support poultry owners by providing them feed, chicks, treatments, and good services, not abandoning them and ban imports."

It is noteworthy that the table egg and chicken prices plunged into the sky and the price of egg dozen reached 7,000 dinars at a time when the prices ranged from 3-4 thousand dinars, except that the import was from neighboring countries, while the chicken prices reached more than 8,000 dinars, up from 4-5 thousand dinars.