Today is Chobok: Chicken prices jumped more than 10%

The poultry section of a major supermarket in downtown Seoul on July 2. Yonhap News

Families preparing invigorating food, such as samgyetang, for Chobok (First Dog Day) on July 11, will have to pay more than they did a year ago.

According to the Livestock Product Distribution Data by the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation, the retail price of chicken was 6,364 won/kg, up 12.0% from a year ago (July 11, 5,682 won/kg). It was 12.0% higher than the price of chicken on the eve of Chobok last year (Jul. 15), 5,681 won/kg.

The retail price of chicken was 6,439 won/kg last month, 12.6% higher than the 5,719 won/kg last June. The wholesale price last month was 3,954 won/kg, up 13.7% from the same month last year (3,477 won/kg).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained the reason for the high price of chicken and said, “The cost of production has increased, forcing producers to reduce the scale of their flock, and productivity has dropped in breeding farms, which has reduced the supply of meat chickens. This has had a big impact.”

The price of duck meat, another ingredient for health food, also rose from a year ago.

On Monday, the wholesale price of a duck (sizes 20-26 ho) was 6,603 won/kg, up 34.4% from a year ago when it cost 4,914 won/kg, and up 28.8% from 5,126 won/kg, the price on the eve of Chobok last year.