Financial Tribune - There has been a 50% decline in chicken consumption in Iran following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country, says the head of Tehran’s Union of Chicken and Fish Sellers.

According to Mehdi Yousefkhani, the considerable decline is rooted in the shutdown of restaurants, ceremony halls and hotels, among others.

He noted that prior to the disease, 30% of the country’s chicken output were consumed by these businesses, reported IRNA.

According to Managing Director of Livestock Affairs Support Company Hassan Abbasi Maroufan, 1,500 tons of surplus chicken are bought from poultry breeders daily to cushion their losses.

“More than 65,000 tons of chickens have been bought and reserved from chicken farmers during the past 45 days,” he said on Wednesday last week.

He was also quoted as saying by ILNA that chicken exports to neighboring countries will begin in 10 days.

Secretary of Market Regulation Headquarters Abbas Qobadi said tariffs on chicken exports will decline from 50,000 rials ($31) to 15,000 rials ($0.09) per kilogram, IRIB News reported.