KATHMANDU: As life returns to normalcy after the devastating earthquake of April 25, the demand for chicken and eggs has steadily gone up and consequently resulted in gradual escalation in prices.

The price of chicken has jumped by Rs 40 per kg in a week and was fixed at Rs 280 per kg today, according to the price quoted by major cold storages of Kathmandu Valley.

Immediately after the temblor, low demand had pulled the poultry market down, with chicken price dropping to Rs 196 per kg. “It was basically because a majority of the restaurants — one of the major poultry buyers — were shut for a number of days following the quake,” explained Chandra Man Shrestha, immediate past president of Poultry Entrepreneurs’ Forum. As per him, Kathmandu Valley alone consumes 60 per cent of the total chicken meat production. The country’s annual chicken meat production is about 44,000 tonnes.

Similarly, the price per egg has also increased by one rupee. After the quake, the price of per pack (210 eggs) was fixed at Rs 1,680 or eight rupees each by Nepal Egg Production Association. Today, its price was fixed at Rs 1,850 per pack, meaning Rs 8.81 each.

Producers have projected that the price of poultry and poultry products will go up in the coming days due to short supply as the poultry industry has been largely affected by the quake.