Source:REUTERS/Ann Wang
[Saba Sports News] This year, the price of badminton shuttles has increased multiple times. Compared to the same period last year, many brands have raised prices by 20% to 30%, with some models seeing increases of over 60%. Fans are curious as to why the prices have fluctuated so significantly recently. Upon investigation, it turns out that the rising prices of badminton shuttles are connected to the drop in pork prices. Badminton shuttles are mainly categorized into three types: goose feather, duck feather, and nylon. The recent price hikes primarily affect goose and duck feather shuttles. To make a badminton shuttle, 16 feathers of the same type—either all goose or all duck—must be used, and they must be very similar in length and curvature. Feathers from different sides of the bird cannot be mixed. Such stringent standards are necessary to ensure the quality of the shuttle’s flight. A tube of 12 shuttles requires about 192 feathers, and accounting for losses, at least 200 feathers are needed. Since a single duck or goose can provide at most 14 usable feathers, it takes at least 15 birds to meet the feather requirement for one tube of shuttles. In China, pork and chicken remain the primary meats consumed. When pork prices are lower than those of duck or goose, the profit margins for duck and goose shrink, leading to fewer farmers raising these birds. This shortage of raw materials for shuttle production ultimately drives up the price of finished shuttles.