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The Minister of Agriculture faced the monopoly of poultry farmers in the importation of chilled chicken.
In the recent period, chicken “breasts” have been lost from their stores. The reason was not the shortage of this product, but the problem in the “price” set by the Ministries of Agriculture, Economy and Commerce, and that the owners of poultry farms and breeders considered unfair to their right. They did not “buy into” the price list that was completely different from the one they prepared and included the cost they pay … and the price difference subsidized through the Bank of Lebanon. And since “the field accounts did not coincide with the al-Baydar accounts,” the “rationing” in the distribution of chicken and egg derivatives was also followed, until the decision was made to guarantee their sale at prices. reasonable. This came in the “glory” of the red meat crisis, its high prices, and the rush of citizens for white meat to supply food shortages.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture intensified its meetings with unions concerned about the poultry sector to reach a solution that prevents the loss of poultry products from the markets (eggs and white meat), especially after the egg crisis two weeks ago when breeders and distributors stopped supplying the market with this commodity and monopolizing it until the ministry retracted the price. Which, at that time, was set at 12,500 lire.
3 meetings that brought agriculture and the economy together with farmers, interspersed with many complaints about the disruption of eggs and chicken breasts and their sale on the black market. The then Agriculture Minister, Abbas Mortada, threatened breeders and ranchers with importing white meat from abroad, because “the citizen is not a stick breaker. After some considerations and responses, the parties agreed to publish a modified price list on the 6th of this month, closer to the “aspirations” of farmers and breeders and not out of reach of consumers, in exchange for the owners of farms work to increase their production to meet market needs. Thus, many prices were modified, including the price of chicken breast, whose price went from 19 thousand pounds to between 23 thousand (shredded breast) and 29 thousand (special breast, cut to weight and fillets of all kinds).
However, the text of the agreement did not prevent some farmers and large distributors from continuing to legalize distribution to the point of refraining from delivery and monopolizing some products, including the “breast” of chickens that have almost disappeared from the market, especially in the regions.
For all these reasons, Mortada opted for the last option, which is to open the door to the importation of refrigerated white meats from abroad. The purpose of this decision was two things: the first was to satisfy the market need for poultry products, “so faith weakened the citizen so as not to deprive the citizen of poultry at the height of the crisis of the meat and high prices, “according to Murtado, and the second is to restore the balance between supply and demand and maintain prices, after demand exceeds supply. Mortada claims that this is not a threat, but rather a measure to “reactivate” the market, and then “the decision expires”, and asks farmers to “review their accounts … and stop stocking”.
The decision is “final and there is no going back”, because “food safety is a red line”. However, for farmers and breeders, it was the final straw. For them, what this decision means is that Murtaza “betrayed us”, according to Musa Fraiji, head of the Poultry Breeders’ Union in Lebanon, when the minister broke the agreement, at a time when farmers promised to increase their production within one month from now “until November 20 … At the minister’s request, we import the eggs that need three weeks to hatch, and then a month before they go on the market, so that we can increase production between a 30 and 40%. “The first for the minister to reconsider the decision, because this matter will complicate the problem and not solve it,” says Friji. What does that mean? The answer depends on what the farmers do once the decision go into effect.
Source: News
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