The price for chicken and other meats have not increased, Assistant Managing Director of Bounty Farms Limited, David Fernandes said on Sunday.
Fernandes was responding to a post on social media made by Gordon Moseley which shows chicken, beef and pork being sold at more than double the retail price. The post did not give the location where the prices were taken or whether it was in lbs or KG.
According to Fernandes, there is no reason for the price of chicken and other meats to be sold at an increased cost.
“Chicken is currently being sold by the major supermarket chains around the country retail at $533 per pound, so those prices of $900 I am assuming that must not be pounds and rather kilogrammes because if it is a kilogramme price then it is not overpriced and I know that generally the price that should be listed on the products legally in Guyana must be done in metric,” Fernandes told the News Room.
After checking, the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that Bounty is wholesaling a pound of chicken for $390-$400 and retailing at $426. Royal branded chicken is wholesaling at $360-390 and Arjune is wholesaling at $360-390 and retailing at $360. Pompey was wholesaling at $300-$360 and retailing at $400-$460.
He is urging customers to exercise caution when purchasing meat and other products.
“Everyone needs to be careful and to buy from companies that are being fair to them; a store or supermarket could only sell to you what you are willing to pay them for and so customers need to be conscious of that and to be smart and to shop at places that are treating you fairly throughout the year,” Fernandes said.
He noted that while the prices for supplies and raw materials increased over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were then further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, they have been trying to not pass this increased cost to customers.
“We are hoping to see some stabilization in the cost of grain and that will probably have a positive effect on production cost as well as the cost to consumers.
“I think it would be fair to note that the cost of all our major feed inputs has gone up by over 68 per cent and the price between 2020 and 2022 November has only gone up for chicken 31 per cent on average in Guyana, also hatching eggs and the cost for chicks had increased by 75 per cent,” Fernandes explained.
He reminded the public that the increased costs for goods are not only affecting Guyana but the entire world.
“I want to re-emphasise the importance of customers being smart and buying from places that are treating them fairly.”
Slo-fyah-mo-fyah……
Slo-brain, no-brain.