Romanian chicken producers project rising consumption this yearamid dwindling population income and consumers' switching tocheaper products.
"Chicken consumption will constantly increase. People will eatchicken and not tomatoes given vegetables record prices," says PuiuIlisei, chairman of Euroavi Călăraşi, a company with 11m-euroturnover in 2009.
Poultry is one of the few foodstuffs that registered priceincreases of below 5% in December 2010 against the same month ofthe previous year, while vegetable prices rose by 22% in the sameperiod, while potatoes saw record prices, after a 45% advance inone year, according to the National Statistics Institutedata.
"The chicken market will rise by 2%. Last year, the subsidy thatcovered 16.5% of the price was done away with, and the grain pricehike pushed costs up by 8%. Thus, the total cost increase amountsto 35.5%. Prices are likely to go up by 25% this year," saysGrigore Horoi, chairman of Agricola Bacău, a major player on themarket.
However, he expects domestic consumption to increase further,especially as in the West chicken consumption stands at 30kg/capita, while in Romania it reaches 20 kg/capita.
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