Yemen: Poultry prices in Taiz rise by 100%

Arwa Al-Ghanimi went to a chicken shop in the city of Taiz, southwest of Yemen, to buy a chicken for her family, but the amount she was carrying, 4,000 riyals (one dollar = 1,900 riyals in areas controlled by the legitimate government), was only enough to buy half a chicken. She was surprised to find that the price of a small chicken had risen to 8,000 riyals.

In the past few days, poultry prices have witnessed an unprecedented increase in Yemen, with the increase rate reaching 100%. A small-sized chicken was sold in the city of Taiz for 4,000 riyals, but today its price has reached 8,000 riyals, while a medium-sized chicken was sold for 5,000 riyals, and its price today has become 10,000 riyals, while the price of a large-sized chicken has reached 15,000 riyals.

The rise in poultry prices came as a result of the scarcity of supply in the market and the increase in demand due to the increasing cases of death and disease in chicken farms outside the city of Taiz, which caused a decrease in the quantity entering the city.

Majed Al-Sharmani (citizen) told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “The economic situation has become catastrophic, and citizens dream of buying a chicken for their families, even once a week. Due to the high prices of chicken, citizens who buy chicken can barely afford to buy a quarter of a chicken, as the chicken seller divides the chicken among four customers.”

In turn, Mariam Al-Shamiri (a teacher) told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “I am a government employee and my monthly salary is only enough to buy five chickens. There is chaos and a lack of oversight that makes merchants set prices as they wish, justifying this increase by the collapse of the currency, even though the price of chicken has more than doubled, which is not at all proportionate to the extent of the collapse in the currency exchange rate.”

The huge increase in chicken prices among wholesalers and poultry farm owners has forced many retailers to close their shops after citizens were unable to buy chicken, which makes the chicken selling profession unprofitable and useless from their point of view, in light of the decline in the value of the Yemeni riyal and the weak purchasing power of citizens.

Hazaa Al-Baradadi, the owner of a poultry shop, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “Because of the rise in chicken prices, I was forced to close the shop, because I now sell less than a third of what I used to sell before the price rise, in light of the lack of profit, because I buy from the supplier at a high price, and I cannot raise the price on the customer more than the cost price, because people’s situation has become deplorable, and I feel ashamed when I see some of those who were well-off before the war come to buy a quarter of a chicken, as people have started to buy a quarter of a chicken just for its broth.”

In addition, many sick poultry have spread in poultry shops, threatening the safety of consumers, especially those that entered the city from the Al-Hawban area, which is under the control of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis), in addition to poultry suffering from severe emaciation.

Most of Taiz's poultry needs come from areas controlled by the Houthis, amid accusations that farm owners are not paying attention to the vaccination process and treating diseases that affect them.

Reasons for the rise in poultry prices in Taiz

The general manager of slaughterhouses in Taiz, Hussein Al-Maqtari, explained in an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the rise in poultry prices “is due to the rise in the price of the dollar and the Saudi riyal, which is considered one of the most important reasons for the rise in their prices, especially since dealing in buying, raising and marketing poultry takes place in Saudi riyals, not Yemeni riyals, in addition to the death of many poultry on farms due to disease, which has caused a significant decrease in supply and what enters the city of Taiz is now only 3 dozen, which is much less than the market needs.”

He added: "We were surprised by the entry of dozens of chickens from the Qasr roundabout road after the opening of Al-Hawban Road (the road that connects the city to the part under Houthi control). They entered the markets without any medical examination, and without coordinating with us. A car was stopped and 200 chickens had died in it, and the rest were thin and young."

Al-Maqtari confirmed that the slaughterhouse office in Taiz "sent a memorandum to the Director General of Taiz Police to prevent the entry of any poultry from the Al-Qasr roundabout and to enter from the usual place at the Hangar point southwest of the city due to the presence of sick and young poultry, because the poultry is subject to veterinary medical examination at the Hangar point and the central Al-Dhabab slaughterhouse in order to ensure the health and safety of citizens, and we hope to respond to the memorandum in order to ensure the health and safety of the consumer."

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in its annual Emergency Watch List, which highlights the 20 countries most at risk of new humanitarian emergencies in 2024, that 80% of the population in Yemen lives below the poverty line, in addition to 23% of households having no income.

According to a recent World Bank report, “it is estimated that the poverty rate in Yemen reached about 74% of the population in 2022, and could reach between 62 and 74% by 2030, depending on the course of the conflict and different scenarios.”

New Arab