As prices of local chicken and chicken products increase from today, hopes are high that the necessary support is now provided to the local poultry industry to ensure that Fiji becomes self sufficient and does not import chicken for the local market in the future.
Attorney General and Commerce Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said with the price control lifted for local chicken, the local poultry industry will focus on a number of projects that will result in import substitution and hopefully also result in maximum chicken production which could also be exported.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the prices for local chicken will increase over a nine month period starting from today and gave an example where a Size 10 chicken which costs $7 is expected to cost $7.70 in nine months time.
However he said Crest Chicken and Rooster Poultry are ready to inject funds from next year to increase chicken production and provide more employment opportunities.
Sayed-Khaiyum also raised concern in relation to the imported chicken sold in Fiji.
As the wholesale price of local chicken and chicken products increase from today, it has been confirmed that supermarkets will be permitted to impose a 12 percent markup on the retail prices.
Fijivillage News has obtained the price list for Crest Chicken and Rooster Chicken products.
The wholesale price for a Size 10 Chicken used to be $6.22 and from today the wholesale price for the Size 10 chicken is $6.54. The retail percentage mark-up is then expected to be 12 percent which would come to about $7.32.
One major supermarket Fijivillage news spoke to said that the 12 percent will be imposed once they receive the new pricing structure from the suppliers.
Under the agreement, people under the Food Voucher Programme will get 25 percent discount on selected local chicken products.
