Nexus between chicken meat production, consumption, GDP, and trade openness across the SAARC countries; evidence from 1993–2022

Abstract

The Poultry production industry is vital for maintaining food security and promoting sustainable agriculture in South Asian countries due to fast population growth, shifting dietary habits, and the growing demand for affordable protein sources. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationships among chicken meat production, chicken meat consumption, gross domestic product, and trade openness over 30 years (1993-2022) across five SAARC countries. consumer demand theory and international trade theory served as the foundation for this study, and Wavelet coherence methodology and Granger causality analysis were used to identify the direction of causality between variables. The findings revealed that bidirectional causalities in chicken meat production are associated with consumption and GDP, while trade openness shows a unidirectional causal flow with chicken meat production. Furthermore, this study provides novel insights and policy implications for the policy makers, international and domestic organisations, and governments towards a sustainable meat industry that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals introduced by the United Nations