Kathmandu, July 4 -- Chicken prices have shot up sharply in the Kathmandu valley reaching as high as Rs430 per kg on Saturday, as ease on the lockdown pushed the demand up.

Balaram Khadka of Dhungedhara said he was surprised when he visited the market on Saturday morning. "I had purchased the meat at Rs300 per kg a few days ago," he said. "It has surpassed Rs400 now."

The price has increased due to the shortage of chicken in the market, said Junga Bahadur BC, president of Nepal Poultry Market Management Association.

"The prices are expected to increase further or even reach an all-time high due to the less production."

The popular meat had touched a record high of Rs450 per kg in February before the country imposed lockdown to prevent...