Chicken meat, egg prices soar in Punjab as cold wave intensifies

LAHORE: Severe cold temperatures have set in across the province as a result of Punjab’s recent winter rains, effectively triggering a rise in chicken meat and egg prices.

On Monday, December 23, Lahore’s market price of chicken meat rose by Rs7 to Rs475 per kilogram from Rs468 the day prior. Similarly are wholesale prices for live broiler chickens; they have increased by Rs5 to Rs314 for one kilogram, while retails now are at Rs328 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, the Lahore district administration made another revision in the official price lists, increasing by Re1 the price of a dozen eggs to Rs326.

This price rise is not limited to Lahore; other cities also already acknowledged these increases, namely, in Multan where live broiler chicken is at a wholesale price of Rs294 per kilogram, with a retail price of Rs308 per kilogram, and broiler meat priced at Rs446 per kilogram, while a dozen eggs are Rs324.

The price increases accompany a plunge in temperatures in Lahore coming right after the city’s first winter rains. The rain cut a significantly long dry spell to bring some respite to Lahore but in doing so drastically brought temperatures down.

Monday was recorded under the mercury at 9°C and was mostly rain-affected in its entirety from places like Garhi Shahu, Mall Road, Model Town, Johar Town, etc.

Light rain continued, throughout Lahore and nearby districts of Kasur, Kahna, Pakpattan, Gujranwala, and Renala Khurd, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) while forecasting the further coldest spells in the region, especially Murree mountains, during mornings and nights. This continued drop in temperatures will see an acceleration in the cold wave in Punjab, and further increases in the