With the ban on the import of poultry and poultry products in the country last week, chicken and eggs are becoming scarce, again. Many grocery shops in Thimphu are selling off their last stock of imported eggs at Nu. 120 a tray. Before it was Nu. 100 a tray.

The owner of the Wangchutaba poultry farm, Major M.K Pradhan, said that his farm supplied about 500 – 600 kilograms of chicken a day but with the ban, the supply had reduced to about 200-250 kilograms a day of local chicken.

The farm sells live chickens at Nu. 80 a kilogram while dressed chickens are sold at Nu.90 a kilogram. A tray of eggs (30 eggs) is sold at Nu. 180 in a farm but sold at Nu. 200 in retail shops.

According Major Pradhan, the farm has about 8000 live chickens which, he said, would last for a month. The farm also has about 500 eggs which would last a week.

“After this stock ends, there would be no supply of chickens or eggs from my farm,� said Major Pradhan.

He said that, while the prices of local chickens will not increase, there are chances for the prices of eggs to rise. The demand for local chicken and eggs has also not increased.

However, by the time the local chickens reach the retail meat counters, the prices increases from Nu. 80 to Nu. 120 a kilogram.

Most meat shops in Thimphu get their supply from Wangchutaba, Genekha, Tsirang, Samtse and Gedu.

Druk meat shop in the capital buys about 400 kilograms of chicken a day to keep up with the demand.

While most hotels still have chicken on their menu, a few like Hotel Tandin and Hotel Taksang have stopped chicken on their menus.

Bhutan imposed an indefinite ban on the import of poultry and poultry products from India on July 27 in response to the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu (H5N1) in Manipur, India. Source: Kuenselonline