Thai consumers turn to crocodile as pork price skyrockets
Crocodile meat is flying off the shelves in Thailand as the soaring price of pork and chicken force consumers to change their diet.
A crocodile farm in Nakhon Pathom province is offering its meat via Facebook at Bt70 per kilogram.
But there is a catch. The offered price applies to purchases of at least 30 kilos – small purchases are priced at Bt105 a kilo, according to the owner of Hia Sak Farm in Nakhon Pathom’s Kamphaeng Saen district.
That’s still a bargain compared to the price of pork, which has skyrocketed to around 230 baht per kilo as pig production falls.
The farm began selling to local consumers after Covid-19 restrictions prevented the export of its meat to mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, said the owner.
Local demand for crocodile meat has risen sharply in line with the soaring pork price, he added.
Customers on his Facebook page said they were turning to crocodile meat for its affordability and flavour. “It tastes like chicken. Very delicious,” one netizen said.
Pork is currently being sold at Bt190 to Bt260 per kilo – up to 30 per cent higher than a year ago. The price has jumped Bt20 to Bt40 over recent months due to a sharp drop in local pig supplies attributed to a suspected outbreak of African swine fever.
The rise is also having a knock-on effect on chicken prices, which have increased about Bt5 per kilo.
