The Department of Internal Trade is monitoring chicken exports, urging producers and exporters to balance the proportion between domestic sales and shipments to prevent the price of chicken meat from getting too high.
Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the department, said the reasons the price of chicken meat had increased from March to April this year were the hot weather and drought.
Higher temperatures and heat stress had resulted in lower feed consumption and growth rates, while the husbandry period had to be increased by three to five days, resulting in a 6% increase in costs for farmers, he said.
The department has been holding talks with chicken raisers and producers, who confirmed that chicken production has started to return to normal following a period of cooler weather, resulting in higher production levels and a decrease in the price of chicken meat.
Regarding concerns over a shortage attributed to rising exports, Mr Wattanasak said major chicken producers and exporters, namely Cargill Meats (Thailand) Co Ltd, CPF (Thailand) Plc and Saha Farm Co Ltd, agreed to balance the proportion of domestic sales and exports in an effort to stabilise the domestic prices of chicken and chicken parts.
"If excess exports cause a domestic shortage, the department may need to impose more stringent measures to limit chicken shipments," he said.
The department has coordinated with wholesale and retail stores to help reduce the prices of chicken meat and parts through promotional campaigns, said Mr Wattanasak.
The department also monitors chicken breeding and prices at both the central and regional levels.
Goranij Nonejuie, deputy director-general of the department, said chicken producers and exporters have confirmed that the amount of production is sufficient to cover both domestic consumption and exports.
He said the production levels have returned to normal, with farmers raising more chicks, which takes around 39-42 days, while also opening new slaughterhouses, he said.
