Prices that stood at ₹160 per kg in mid-November had climbed to ₹290 by the first week of January.
Kozhikode: Chicken prices in the state have risen sharply over the past month, with broiler chicken prices increasing by more than ₹100 per kilogram.
However, there has been no major change in the price of leghorn chicken, which remains in high demand in the Malabar region.
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The surge began in the first week of December with the start of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season. Prices that stood at ₹160 per kg in mid-November had climbed to ₹290 by the first week of January.
Retail traders allege that poultry farm owners are withholding chickens from the market to artificially drive up prices.
Traders have warned that they will launch shop closures in protest if the Civil Supplies Department and district administrations fail to intervene and bring prices under control.
In several parts of Kozhikode city, chicken shops have already begun shutting down in response to the price spike.
Kozhikode was among the districts that recorded the highest chicken sales during the new year period.
Traders say chicken could be sold for under ₹200 per kg, but alleged hoarding by farm owners is forcing them to purchase chicken at inflated rates. As a result, the public often assumes traders are making excessive profits.
Around 80% of poultry farms in Kerala are controlled by large operators based in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. If prices are not brought under control before Ramadan, the situation will become extremely difficult, said Firoz Pokkunnu, Kozhikode district working secretary of the Chicken Traders’ Association.
Published: 06 Jan 2026, 11:48 am IST
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