2012-2-13

The price of Korean cattle has gone up ... to the relief of livestock farmers who have been worried about making ends meet. At the same time... the price of chicken has gone down.

The average price of male cattle shot up 123 thousand won, or about 110 US dollars from last month to 5-point-2-4 million won. That's about 5-thousand dollars and around the same level seen last year.

Analysts cite the growth in consumption of Korean beef and the government's efforts to promote its sale on the occasion of the lunar New Year holiday ... a time when many people exchange gifts of food.

On the flipside, with the increased consumption of beef, there has been a sharp decline in the consumption of chicken, and in turn, a price decrease.

Compared to last year ... a kilogram of chicken now fetches 1,730 won, or roughly 1 and a half dollars ... down about 30 percent. The drop was triggered by the avian flu last year that made poultry farmers cut back on breeding chicken.