Lilongwe vendors riot over chicken price hike

Police in Lilongwe on Monday used teargas canisters to disperse angry vendors, who destroyed the fence and stoned Central Poultry Ltd premises in Area 36, in protest against price adjustment of their products.

The company’s Senior Human Resources Manager Benson Chirwa said angry vendors reacted in protest of a K50 increased price for undressed chicken orders.

According to Chirwa the company informed all its vendors making undressed chicken orders about the price adjustments from K1, 050 to K1, 100.

Said Chirwa: “All the vendors who attended the meeting understood the development and accepted but it seems they didn’t tell their counterparts about the change.

“So the other vendors mobilized themselves and invaded the company’s premises in protest to the new price.”

However, business commenced at the company after calm returned and the vendor still bought the chickens at the revised price.

Various business entities in Malawi have revised their prices following the recent devaluation of the Kwacha by almost 50 percent.