Fadi Al-Jadby, a Yemeni husband and an expecting father, never imagined that he would have to wait in a lengthy queue to buy some chicken. Sadly, the last of the chicken was sold long before his turn arrived.
Although all those who remained in the queue without getting what they wanted either left or exchanged their requests for something else, Al-Jadby hoped that by talking to the workers in the back he could get his hands on some chicken.
Despite his effort, Al-Jadby was disappointed and forced to try his luck at another restaurant.
Al-Jadby told Asharq Al-Awsat that he would not have bothered to get a chicken had his pregnant wife not craved it.
Wanting to satisfy her, he tried the same restaurant for two days in a row, to no avail.
Moreover, chicken prices had increased dramatically in the capital Sanaa's restaurants. The price of a chicken weighing about one kilogram reached 3,000 rials, according to exchange rates in areas held by the Iran-backed Houthi militias, that is the equivalent of $5.
According to Sanaa residents, a kilogram of chicken was selling for $3, which means that the price of poultry had hiked more than 50%.
Slaughterhouse owners are complaining about this sudden increase in prices. They have been forced to reduce production out of fears they will not be able to sell stocks because of this sudden rise coupled with a weak purchasing power of citizens.
In Sanaa, stories spread about an epidemic killing many of the capital’s chickens. Houthi-run authorities have spread these stories to justify the increase in the price of chicken, but many testimonies and evidence indicate otherwise.
These stories lose their credibility once noting that chicken prices have not increased in government-run areas, where most production farms are located.
