Big Three controlling chicken price

THE EDITOR: Kindly print this letter so that the powers that be, may read this and take the appropriate action(s). I own a chicken depot, and it hurts me to see the poverty and hence the suffering which people go through on a daily basis. Customers are now purchasing items like a dollar chicken neck, two dollars breast bone or five dollars for mixed parts. And at today’s prices they are receiving very little meat for their pot. How can we help these people? Well it is either they get more money, or the price of chicken goes down.

In this letter let us concentrate on the latter —
In the past, the price of chicken was influenced by supply and demand. Now it is not so because the big producers are like the three musketeers “All for one - one for all”. “And now they have “Lock Down” the industry in the following ways —
a. No chicks are being sold to independent farmers
b. A controlled amount of chicks are produced for their customers so as to maintain a short supply and a high price.
c. All poultry depots are being supplied on a quota basis.
d. They control most of the grains being sold in TT.
A note of curiosity - why is it that in March and September, when the land is hot and the mortality with the chicks is high, the price goes down, and in December (Christmas time) when the place is cool and hence less mortality the price goes up?
This shows that the big producers can manipulate the prices to suit themselves and this was done last year to the detriment of hundreds of independent farmers.
Between September 2002 and March 2003 the price was forwarded under $2.50 per pound, which caused independents to literally lose the shirts off their backs. Now these farmers with their empty pens must rear chicken for the Big Three so that they can survive, and Big Three now monopolise the pricing structure.
The solution to this impass as I see it is-
1. The Government should not remove the surcharge - this will cause Trinbagonians to be placed on the breadline and TNT will become a dumping ground for other countries with inferior quality chicken.
2. Government and /or independent private enterprises should have their own hatchery and grain producing plants.
3. Government should subsidies farmers in event the price should fall below $3.50.
It was stated by the producers that it cost an average three dollars per pound to rear a bird, therefore chicken prices should not fall below $3.50 per pound to the depots.
And lastly and most important to us, Minister Camille and the media should make it abundantly clear to citizens that the price quoted by her is for live chicken and not the price over the counter.

FRANK PICTON
Port-of-Spain