Chicken producer denies price hike

A MAJOR poultry company in East Trinidad has denied increasing the price of live chickens, contrary to reports in a daily newspaper yesterday. The company’s general manager told Newsday that he had read the reports in the daily newspaper (not Newsday), which indicated that chicken prices had been increased from $3 to $4.25, which represents a $1.25 increase in the poultry price.

He said while there may be an increase in the price of broilers in the future, any increase in the product would be as a result of increases in the prices of raw materials, port charges and other miscellaneous charges. When contacted concerning the increases, San Juan Business Association President Gail Merhair said she is not aware of the situation, but said the reasoning behind the increase sounds “bogus,” since the Lenten season was a time when some religious factions observe a period of fasting from meats and meat products.

She said an explanation like that at another time would have been more convincing, but now, when most people would prefer to refrain from eating meats, and at times even fish, it sounded like “an excuse to raise the price of chicken, if the price has actually gone up.”