Bird flu scare affects sale of chicken, eggs in Bataan

Chicken meat stalls at the Balanga City Public Market were almost empty of buyers Monday with stall holders having the same complaint. (Photo: Pixabay, CC0 Creative Commons)

BALANGA CITY, Bataan — The reported case of bird flu or Avian Influenza Virus in San Luis, Pampanga has greatly affected the sale of chicken meat and eggs in Bataan.

There are no reports of the virus in Bataan but it is one of the provinces in Central Luzon nearest to Pampanga.

Chicken meat stalls at the Balanga City Public Market were almost empty of buyers Monday with stall holders having the same complaint.

“There is slack in sales. We are being affected by bird flu. The price is low and yet the sales do not pick up,” Evelyn Avocado said when asked about her sale of chicken meat.

She said that from PHP160 per kilo of dressed chicken, their price has now been  lowered to PHP130 but still, they have few customers.

Fe Dacayan, another chicken meat seller, said even restaurants in Balanga City that they used to supply have greatly cut orders.

“From 100 percent, their ordered chicken meat is now only about 10 percent ,” she said.

Another market stall owner disclosed a 50-percent drop in her sale of eggs.