Falling margins, rising costs: Chicken shops in Hyderabad to shut from April 1

Located in a corner of Baba Nagar colony in Hyderabad’s Mallapur area is Tawakkal Chicken and Mutton Market. While people move in and out of the shop, they also notice a banner which has been hung outside the shop which has a notice written in Telugu.

The notice, attributed to the Telangana State Chicken Shop Owners Association, reads: “Chicken traders are falling victim to the tyranny of poultry companies that do not give us margin. This has led us to a situation where we cannot do business without profits. In protest of this, we are closing our shops from April 1 indefinitely until the reduced margin is corrected. Please cooperate.”