Online apps resume delivery of mutton, chicken; fish still scarce

REGULAR MEAT STALLS STAY SHUT

Online apps resume delivery of mutton, chicken; fish still scarce

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:31.05.2021

City residents can access meat and fish at the click of a button as online outlets have resumed operations after nearly a week. But, the price of mutton has been jacked up by ₹150 to ₹300 a kg compared to the first week of May.

Till Saturday, fish and meat were door delivered only by a few local meat shops and service providers, who took orders on messaging apps and delivered within a day. All fish and meat stalls remained shut.

On Sunday, mutton was sold for ₹850 to ₹1,200 a kg through various apps and the same quantity of chicken was sold for a flat rate of ₹240. Only some varieties of fish were available through online apps, but were sold out within an hour on Sunday.

Traders taking orders on the phone said that limited volumes of fish were available for sale as it has to be sourced from other places in view of the 45-day ban on trawling.

Former president of Chennai Poultry Wholesalers Association J Rajkumar said all meat shops are closed in the city.

"We are permitted to offer meat to eateries and restaurants in the current lockdown. Traders with access to online food aggregators and taking orders on the phone also deliver at doorsteps of residents," he said.

Meanwhile, retail chains are delivering vegetables within a couple of days, though people depending on home delivery apps were facing logistical issues due to the intensified lockdown.

P L Muthu, operations head of a city-based online delivery app providing grocery and vegetables, said that the frequency of sourcing vegetables from different parts of Tamil Nadu has been affected by the intensified lockdown.

"Moreover, home delivery apps are facing shortage for manpower, which is delaying the delivery time in Chennai," he added.