(Business in Cameroon) - At the Marché des Chèvres in New-Bell, Douala's benchmark chicken market, a chicken weighing two kilograms costs between 4,000 and 4,500 CFA Francs. Just two months ago, it was 3,000 CFA Francs, according to Thierry M, a chicken seller who has been in operation for over ten years now.  A 1.5 kg chicken, which used to cost 2,500 CFA Francs, is now sold for 3,500 CFA Francs or more. The situation is similar at Cité des Palmiers and PK 10 chicken markets.

According to the vendors, the price of chicken soared in Douala over the past three months due to the high cost of inputs. The price of those products indispensable for chicken production has soared, we learn.  "A bag of starter feed, which used to sell for 18,000 CFA Francs, is now sold for 21,500, while grower feed, which used to sell for 17,000 CFA Francs two months ago, has risen to 18,500 CFA Francs. Finishing feed is now 17,500 CFA Francs, from  16,500 previously,"  explains a chicken producer. The price of corn, which is used to feed chickens, has also soared. According to the regional newspaper L'Oeil du Sahel, the price of a 100kg bag of corn has risen from 15,000 to 43,000 CFA Francs at the Guider test market in the north of the country.

A few weeks ago, a shortage of chicks resulted in a drop in the supply of chicken, causing a rise in prices. This time, however, stalls are well stocked but prices are not dropping. Producers and sellers fear price would continue to rise with four months to the end-of-year festivities (a period of high chicken consumption). Since most inputs are imported, with the current international context, production costs are expected to go higher, ultimately affecting chicken retailing prices. 

Frédéric Nonos