Kenchic Limited has announced a five-shilling increment for its day-old layer, broiler, and Kenbro chicks. The price change which will take effect on Monday of next month means they will now retail for Sh140, Sh100, and Sh110 respectively.

In a letter to its customers, East Africa’s biggest supplier of chicks cited a weakened shilling and rising fuel costs as the main reasons for the price hike.

“Since the start of the year, changes in global economic conditions have resulted in a weakening Kenyan shilling versus the dollar,” read part of a statement from the company’s Managing Director Jim Tozer.

This, the company said, had made it expensive to source quality breeders, raw materials, and goods such as packaging material and hatchery spares both locally and internationally.

Further, Kenchic said it has had to shoulder unprecedented fuel costs which broke the 200-shilling barrier earlier this month. “This has influenced our operations both directly and indirectly in terms of transportation, manufacturing, and production processes.”

Earlier this week, Kenya Poultry Breeders Association Co-ordinator Humphrey Mbugua warned of a looming chick shortage in the country as a result of sub-standard and unaccredited hatcheries littered across the country. “These sell chicks with high mortality rates to farmers in a country where the existing daily demand isn’t even being met,” he said.

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Photo Courtesy: Kenchic