Top shopping outlets in Doha have reported a severe shortage of fresh chicken over the past few days due to a decline in supplies from Saudi Arabia, according to a report.

The Qatari market depends heavily on imports from Saudi Arabia since the produce from local farms can meet only a small portion of the demand, said the Peninsula report.

"We have not been getting any stocks from Saudi Arabia for five days. We have not heard of any ban or restrictions on imports. The shortage is caused by some other reasons, probably delays in clearance," an official of a leading hypermarket was quoted as saying.

"At the moment we don't have a single piece of fresh chicken in our racks. The limited quantity of locally produced chicken was sold out within hours," he added.

Al Watania and Al Youm are the major brands of fresh chicken from Saudi Arabia while other Saudi Arabian brands are not so popular, said the report.

Traders said fresh chicken has a shelf life of seven days and any delay in delivery could affect sales. The sources said there was no shortage of frozen chicken but it is no substitute for loyal customers of fresh chicken.

The demand for fresh chicken has seen a rapid rise with an increase in the population. An increasing number of citizens and expatriates are opting for it.

"Sales of fresh chicken amount to about one-third of total sales of fresh meat in our outlets," said the official.

Supplies from local farms have not gone up to meet the increasing demand, he added.