Fish, Chicken Dearer, Eggs Become Protein Choice | Kolkata News – Times of India

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[google-translator]

KOLKATA: The spike in fish and chicken prices has forced people to bank on eggs for striking a balance between protein intake and the kitchen budget that often goes haywire due to steady rise of prices across commodities. On an average, the price of fish rose at least by Rs 100-Rs 150 a kg in some categories. The chicken price has breached Rs 250 a kg.

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“There is a critical demand-supply gap for fish. The supply of fish to retail markets has suddenly dried up significantly for the last 15 days, pushing the prices. The prices are expected to rise further till saltwater fishes come to the rescue,” said Sunil Karmakar, secretary of the Kolkata Fish Vendors’ Association.
One of the key reasons behind the price rise is the near-complete absence of saltwater fish in the market as deep-sea fishing is suspended because of the unusually choppy sea . Almost 98% of fishermen desisted from deep-sea fishing. Secondly, ponds and tanks are being dewatered for a fresh fishing cycle. All these factors worked in tandem to create a vacuum suddenly.
“Fish is a staple in our daily diet. The current slump in supply and steeper rise of prices have forced us to tweak the protein budget. But a sudden replacement of fish with egg in the platter often causes a revolt. We end up preparing extra dishes to compensate for the sense of loss and end up exceeding the budget,” said Monalisa Dhar, a homemaker at Padmasree.
Even though the supply of eggs remains steady across the retail markets, higher demand is pushing up its prices as well. Egg price has refused to drop below Rs 6 apiece these days, said Sujit Ghosh, a retailer of eggs at Behala Purano Bazar.
The sudden drop in supply has also pushed the prices of chicken. “The rise of chicken prices is quite inevitable because of the sharper rise of poultry feed prices. Since 2019, the prices of poultry feed has risen by 70%,” said Madan Maity, general secretary of the West Bengal Poultry Federation.
Amar Das, a fish vendor at Lake Market, added: “The supply has dropped sharply. Prices of most of the common fish variety rose by Rs 150 a kg. We are facing a problem as most of our loyal customers feel that we are maximising profit, which is not the case. The crisis is unlikely to be over shortly.”

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