With the advent of Ramadan, chicken prices have risen in the southern Syria governorate of Daraa, while egg prices have fallen, influenced by demand and turnout.
The price of a kilo of chicken before slaughter in the western countryside of Daraa reached 42,000 Syrian pounds after it was 38,000 before Ramadan, and the price of a kilo of chicken thighs reached 50,000 pounds after it was 43,000 pounds, and the price of a kilo of breast rose from 55,000 to 65,000 pounds.
Chicken prices vary between regions in Daraa according to the distance from or proximity to poultry farms, with the price of a kilo of live chicken in the eastern countryside reaching 40,000 pounds.
Anas al-Mohammed (38 years old), an owner of a chicken parts shop in the western countryside of Daraa, said that the first day of Ramadan witnessed an increase in purchases after a slowdown before Ramadan.
The current price situation contradicts the statements of the General Director of the Poultry Establishment in Syria, Sami Abu Dan, to the local Al-Watan newspaper on February 29, who said that the reason for the increase is the rise in demand for the product and the limited supply in the local market.
Abu Dan expected the rise to continue for five days, followed by a gradual decrease in the price of chicken until the end of Ramadan. However, it remains high until today, Tuesday, March 12.
Egg prices have decreased, with the price of a carton (30 eggs) dropping to 48,000 Syrian pounds after it was 60,000 pounds in February.
Regarding egg prices, Abu Dan mentioned that the decrease is due to low demand, noting the presence of large quantities entering Syria through smuggling, which has provided the supply in the local market.
Buying chicken meat is a customary ritual among residents in Daraa, especially on the first day of Ramadan.
Daraa governorate is one of the governorates that produce chicken and eggs and exports most of its production to the local market in the same governorate, as well as to the markets in the capital Damascus.
According to the Daraa Agriculture Directorate, the number of producing farms in Daraa governorate reached 599 farms, including 451 broiler farms that produce annually 11,000 tons of chicken meat, and there are in Daraa 148 poultry farms that produce about 63 million eggs annually.
Egg or chicken prices are not suitable for most residents in Syria, as people live in a deteriorating economic and living reality. The minimum government salaries in regime-controlled areas are about 279,000 pounds (one dollar is 14,000 pounds), while the average cost of living is more than 10.3 million Syrian pounds, and the minimum cost of living is 6.5 million pounds.