Poultry prices witness 30% decrease — sector representative

AMMAN — Poultry prices in the Jordanian market have witnessed a 30 per cent decrease during the past week due to the rising operational costs and the low purchasing ability, according to Hassan Abudaqar, board member of the Jordanian Poultry Producers Association.

“Today, feathered chicken costs JD1.15 per kilo, while plucked chicken costs JD1.50 per kilo,” Abudaqar told The Jordan Times.

He added that the rising operational costs in the Jordanian poultry sector, also partly due to the cold weather, have caused farmers to suffer notable losses.

“For the poultry to survive this type of weather, the heating should be on 24/7, which is very costly, especially in a time when fuel prices are on the rise,” he said.

Among other operational costs sustained by farmers is the 5 per cent tax on production inputs, which was imposed in 2018. 

“Today, one tonne of poultry feed costs the farmer JD400 in addition to a 5 per cent tax of JD20,” he said, adding that relieving farmers from this tax would make a big difference, “as feed represents 70 per cent of the total production cost”.

Abudaqar noted that farmers currently sell their poultries with around a 20 per cent loss. 

“Traders buy the chicken from farmers at JD1.05 per kilo even though its production cost is JD1.30,” he said.

Abudaqar also pointed out that opening the door for importation, despite the local surplus production, is another contributing factor to the losses sustained by farmers. 

“Jordan is self-sufficient in its need for poultries, as Jordanian poultry farms provide the market with 700,000 broiler chickens per day and 250,000 tonnes of broiler chicken per year,” he said. 

The Jordanian Poultry Producers association, said Abu Abudaqar, “demands opening new export markets”, as the poultry sector in Jordan is witnessing a notable increase in production volumes with a 30 per cent surplus.

He noted that “Jordan has exported 150,000,000 table eggs and 85,000,000 hatching eggs to neighbouring countries in 2021,” adding that the amount of exported poultries is very low.

The Kingdom houses 2,689 poultry farms distributed around governorates, including 2,297 broiler chicken farms, 278 hatcheries, and 114 breeder farms, according to Abudaqar.

Jordanian farmer’s production of poultries is “more than enough”, he said.

“Local poultry farms are capable of covering the entire needs of the country at stable prices throughout the year, provided that the government implements protective import prohibition, by gradually reducing the import quota for poultries,” Abudaqar said.

He added that the association demands more restrictions and oversight on smugglers harming the local product by escaping taxes and customs.