Bird flu hits, food revenues down By Zheng Caixiong (China Business Weekly) Updated: 2004-02-17 11:46
GUANGZHOU: Yanjuji (salted roast chicken) and Baicheji (boiled sliced
chicken) are two famous, ade-old specialty dishes at Dongjiang Restaurant in
Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.
These two
typical Cantonese dishes lure throngs of customers and can usually earn the
restaurant big profits during the lunar new year and other major
festivals.
But revenues from the restaurant's two
major dishes were down at least 30 per cent during this lunar new year, which
started on January 22, a manager of the restaurant said last week.
The restaurant usually
reaches its business peak period during Spring Festival, which is China's
celebration of the lunar new year.
"Many guests at our restaraunt have been
ordering seafood, beef, mutton, pork and other dishes this year," the manager
said.
Bird flu, which has broken out in many regions of Asia, has affected
the restaurant's business, the manager, who declined to be named, told China
Business Weekly.
Other major restaurants in Guangzhou that rely heavily on
sales of chicken dishes also report slower business since the beginning of this
year.
Dongjiang Restaurant has decided to develop more new dishes without
chicken later this month to help soften the blow to revenues, the manager
said.
Although many residents assert they do not worry about the disease
while feasting on traditional festival cuisine, poultry sales in Guangdong have
slowed this year.
Sales of poultry have fallen by 50 per cent in Guangzhou
since last month, and the average price of live chickens has also dropped to
about 10 yuan (US$1.20) per kilogramme in Guangzhou's agricultural
bazaars.
This figure indicates a decrease of about 20 per cent from two
months ago.
Mo Hong, a seller of live chickens in Guangzhou's Taojin
Agricultural Bazaar, used to sell more than 500 live chickens during the
traditional lunar new year period, earning a profit of more than 4,000 yuan
(US$481.93).
But he has sold less than 200 live chickens during the festival
this year, despite the cheaper price.
Mo, who had purchased many live
chickens, expecting big profits during the lunar new year, now will have to deal
with huge losses.
People have even used chicken less than usual this year to
worship their ancestors during the biggest Chinese festival, Mo said.
Chen
Shaofen, another vendor who sells cooked meat in the agricultural bazaar,
complained that sales of cooked chicken have also decreased.
Chen has cut the
prices of his cooked chicken, roast geese and ducks from 10 yuan (US$1.20) to 4
yuan (48 US cents) per kilogramme. But he notes his sales of roast pork have
increased at least 20 per cent this year.
The outbreak of the bird flu has
also damaged Guangdong's poultry export business.
Guangdong has been required
to cease exports of chicken, ducks, geese, doves and other poultry to
neighbouring Hong Kong and Macao beginning this month.
Last year, Guangdong
exported more than 15 million live chickens to Hong Kong, earning more than 110
million yuan (US$13.25 million) in 2003.
Among the province's 140 registered
poultry farms with export licences, 95 are chicken farms, 35 are water fowl
farms, while the rest raise doves, quail and other poultry.
Guangdong authorities found suspected bird flu cases in
Jiedong and Chao'an counties, in the eastern part of the province, on January
30. Emergency measures were taken immediately after the cases were detected.
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