Broiler chicken prices have increased in the capital's kitchen markets amidst an alleged supply shortage, which traders attributed to a rise in consumption at different events and festivities marking the winter season.

Yesterday's prices were 5.41 percent higher than those last week.

Each kilogramme (kg) was selling for Tk 180 to Tk 200, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and sources at retail markets.

A week ago, it was Tk 170 to Tk 200.

Compared to that last year, it was an increase of 2.70 percent.

There is a supply shortage, said Mohammad Suman, a retailer at Karwan Bazar, one of the largest kitchen markets in the capital.

The rise also forced Alamgir Hossain, a private company employee, to shell out an extra Tk 100 on his purchase of five kilogrammes of broiler chicken, one of the most common sources of protein for low and middle-income groups.

This will force him to cut back on some other grocery purchase, he told The Daily Star.

He said he has not been able to buy all that he needed due to high prices of daily necessities.

Inflation hit a four-month-high of 11.38 percent in November, despite tightening of the monetary policy and reduction of import tax on essential food commodities.

Food inflation soared to 13.80 percent from 12.66 percent in October, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Non-food prices edged up to 9.39 percent in November, from 9.34 percent a month earlier.

Demand has increased due to a rise in weddings and upcoming Christmas Day and celebrations marking the year's end, which has subsequently led to the price rise, said Emon Khan, a retailer at Duaripara Bazar in Mirpur.

Demand had been lower than supply over the last couple of weeks and most farmers were having to accept losses for low prices, said Kazi Zahin Hasan, director of Kazi Farms, adding that this often happened in winter.

Now the price has increased probably because demand has increased or supply has fallen, he added.

Demand has increased for winter festivities and supplies are not always constant, so, price fluctuations are quite natural, he said.

He claimed that his company was selling at rates announced by the Department of Agricultural Marketing and sometimes even lower.

He also dismissed allegations that the fluctuations were being artificially created by some syndicate.

Many farmers recently failed to make a profit buying day-old chicks and feed at high prices, said Sumon Howlader, president of Bangladesh Poultry Association, an association of farmers running small and medium-scale operations.

He also claimed that demand for chicken decreases during the winter season and this prompts many farmers to suspend operations.

This has created a gap between supply and demand, for which prices have increased, he said.