When the government provides them with support to protect the industry they must also take some responsibility to ensure that the prices they charge to the consumers are reflective, reasonable and makes sense.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad highlighted this to fijivillage News regarding the fluctuating frozen chicken prices over the last few weeks.
Professor Prasad says if the poultry industry does not pass on the incentives it receives, then the government will have no other option but to ensure that they do so, and that is the clear message he wants to send to the industry.
He says the government gives the poultry industry a 42 percent duty protection and expects them to behave ethically in a way they are able to translate that protection into better quality and priced products because they are also restricting the import of frozen chickens.
He says between the three chicken producers in the country, they employ 2,400 people, and they cannot use that as a basis of holding 800,000 people to ransom.
Professor Prasad will deliver the 2024/2025 National Budget at 10am next Friday.
