Syria permits live-chicken imports as poultry costs push prices higher
Syria plans to permit live-chicken imports to increase domestic supply and curb poultry-price inflation. The policy reverses an earlier import suspension as rising feed, energy and farming costs reduce production and force breeders out of the market.
Government turns to imports
Syria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform plans to permit imports of live chickens after a sharp rise in poultry prices. Agriculture Minister Basel al-Suwaidan said the measure was intended to meet domestic demand, increase availability in local markets and help stabilize prices, according to Ahwal.
The decision represents a reversal of an earlier policy adopted by the National Import and Export Committee. That measure suspended imports of live broiler chickens, broiler chicks and layer chicks until further notice, with the stated aim of protecting national production and supporting domestic poultry breeders. The return to imports shows that maintaining affordable supply has become the government’s immediate priority.
Production decline widens the supply gap
Government intervention follows weeks of continuing price increases, lower volumes of domestic production and a decline in the number of active breeders. Ahwal reported that poultry farms have faced mounting pressure from higher feed costs and other farming inputs. Costs accumulate before birds reach slaughterhouses or retail markets, including the price of chicks, feed, energy and heating, followed by taxes, fees and distribution expenses.
The combined pressure has created a substantial gap between supply and demand. When breeders reduce output or leave the industry, fixed costs are spread across fewer birds and markets receive less poultry. Importing live chickens can add supply more quickly than rebuilding local flocks, but it does not directly lower the feed, energy or financing burden faced by Syrian producers.
Damascus prices show pressure on consumers
Prices monitored by the Syrian Arab News Agency in Damascus and cited by Ahwal placed whole chicken at 350-450 new Syrian pounds per kilogram. Chicken thighs were quoted at 400-500 pounds per kilogram, while chicken breast fillets were priced at 800-850 pounds. A separate market survey put live chicken at about 400 pounds per kilogram and breast fillets at about 1,000 pounds.
The differences between surveys indicate variation across products, sellers or observation points, but both show the premium consumers pay for processed cuts compared with live or whole birds. Additional imported supply could pressure live-bird and wholesale prices first, with the extent of retail relief depending on slaughtering, transport and distribution costs.
Producers face renewed foreign competition
For consumers, the import decision is designed to improve availability and slow further price growth. For local breeders, however, imported birds introduce competition at a time when their own costs remain elevated. The commercial effect will depend on import volumes, origin markets, delivery costs and the rules used to issue permits, none of which were specified in the available announcement.
The government is therefore balancing two objectives that can conflict in the short term: protecting domestic poultry capacity and keeping an essential source of animal protein within reach of households. Imports may narrow the immediate supply deficit, but lasting price stability will also depend on whether breeders can obtain chicks, feed, power and heating at costs that allow them to remain in production.
