Mainland chickens return to markets just in time for holiday

A total of 6,800 live chickens and 1,500 pigeons from the mainland reached Hong Kong yesterday - just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival on Monday.

Traders expressed relief as poultry imports resumed on Thursday after nearly eight months. They expected wholesale prices to drop by about 26 per cent as a result.

"We are all very excited," said Poultry Wholesalers Association chairman Tsui Ming-tuen. "Chickens from the mainland are bigger and good quality. Hong Kong people can now expect a good festival feast." Tsui said the average wholesale price of live chicken was about HK$34 per catty (600 grams) early on Thursday, but it was expected to drop to HK$25 to HK$28 per catty after the imports.

Steven Wong Wai-chuen, chairman of the Poultry Wholesalers and Retailers Association, said that without the mainland imports, he would have expected retail prices for locally raised live chicken to rise to HK$80 per catty for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But with the mainland imports, he believed the price could be lowered to between HK$60 and HK$70 per catty. He cited festival demand and overhead costs in the disparity between retail and wholesale prices.

Wong said Hongkongers did not need to worry about the safety of the imported poultry because mainland farmers had taken extensive precautions ahead of quarantine and testing.