Shopkeepers Refuse to Sell Chicken on Official Rate

Chicken shop owners announced on Thursday that they will not sell meat at government rates and will keep their shops closed. President of the Sindh Poultry and Retailers Association, Rao Muhammad Afzal, stated that poultry farms are violating government prices, selling live chicken at Rs. 490 instead of the official rate of Rs. 400. He pointed out the dilemma faced by shopkeepers, questioning how they can sell chicken meat at Rs. 640 per kilogram when it costs them Rs. 780. Afzal accused the authorities of taking unilateral action against shopkeepers, imposing fines of up to Rs. 100,000, while alleging that poultry farms are hoarding chickens to create an artificial scarcity. Expressing hardship in selling chicken meat at government rates, the President of the Sindh Poultry and Retailers Association declared that chicken shops across the city will remain closed from Thursday, citing inability to procure supplies at official rates until poultry farmers are bound by government pricing regulations.