Santo Domingo, RD.
This Wednesday at 11:00 am still several of the chickens that a team from the editorial staff of the Daily List reached had chicken to offer to their customers. Even a few minutes before noon, these businesses had enough to sell.
On-site tours, including a grocery store, the pound of chicken is offered at RD $ 80, but if it is only breast, the chickens are offered at RD $ 120 the pound.
Prices vary depending on the type of chicken pieces the customer wants. If it’s just fins, they cost RD $ 85 a pound, long thigh RD $ 100 a pound and wide thigh RD $ 80 the pound, while if the customer only wants pick and shovel is priced at RD $ 50 a pound.
In the Honduras Market, located on Correa i Cidrón Avenue in the Capital, the salesman was asked “already lowered the chicken?” and this one jokingly replied, “yes, from the truck.”
The worker has stated that weeks ago the chicken was sold at RD $ 70 a pound, but now it is at RD $ 75 (the only place visited with the price like that) and says that there is enough poultry production here, even pointing with his hand to the business yard where he places the live chickens and stated “look how many there are here. There are many.”
The manager of the business said that despite the crisis caused by African swine fever, it is no longer necessary to continue with the import of chicken also emphasizing that people do not like the imported chicken because it is frozen.
“I bring imported chest to people and they told me not to bring it anymore because they weren’t going to buy it back from me (…) The sale is loose as you like,” he expressed.
In another business, the owner commented that last week they were sent chicken to sell one day if and the next not, while this week he feels that the situation has normalized, adding that there was to borrow RD $ 20,000 to be able to have enough amount these days. Its plateau was full of chickens and no more customers were observed, as it was past 12 noon.
Maria is a lady who sells chicken in the El Pantà sector since she was 13 years old and tells Listín Diari that it’s the first time he remembers selling for £ 70 a pound. She relates that a few weeks ago she was selling the pound at RD $ 50, and that she had never passed that price because “this is a neighborhood and I can’t do that to people.”
The chicken saleswoman points out that a few weeks ago, when the swine fever crisis, already at 9:00 in the morning, she had her small business closed because few chickens were being sent to her for sale.
Now, he is grateful because he still has the trade open at 11:40 in the morning and at the end of the day he has very little chicken left, or nothing.
ensures need
Last Tuesday the Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, told Listín Diario that the current situation of consumption of chicken in the country is not normal due to the decline in pork production which was there a few weeks ago, so he justified the importation of this food.
He believes that this is a one-time import and will not be sustained over time, after responding to statements given to this medium by the President of the Dominican Poultry Association (ADA), Juan Lucas Alba, who stated that domestic producers they have been making every effort to increase production, so that in their opinion, at this time, it is no longer necessary to import.
While Cruz added that the consumption of chicken had increased between 10 and 18%, denying that these imports would destroy poultry production because it is a momentary situation to balance supply and demand and that prices remain stable.
imports
Chicken meat imports into the country grew by more than 1,000 metric tons in July 2021, When compared to other months such as January where 1,630 metric tons were imported and in July it increased to 3,452 metric tons with a total of US $ 6,100,000 dollars.
In January 2021 only US $ 2.5 million was imported in chicken meat (fresh and frozen), according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture. However, during this year in April, May and June, chicken imports began to grow with values exceeding US $ 3.3 million, US $ 3.8 million and US $ 3,630,000. respectively.