Beef prices prohibitively high despite government-fixed rate

Beef is being sold at prices higher than the government -fixed rate in the city, consumers said.  
Meat traders defended the higher rate, saying that the price of cow has increased ahead of the sacrificial festival Eid-ul-azha, barely a month away.
Beef is being sold at Tk300-320 per kg in different markets in the city while buffalo meat at Tk280-290 per kg against the city corporation fixed prices of Tk280 (beef) and Tk260 (buffalo) respectively.
"The government has fixed price of beef in the city but butchers are charging Tk20-40 more for per kg," Md Shahinur Rahman, a student of Jagannath University, said.
Shahinur, who resides in a student mess at Nowabganjbazar in the city, said that traders are not following the fixed price.
"Higher prices of essentials including beef are casing increase in our meal price," he said.
Another consumer Md Akram Ali, a small teashop owner, said that his family demands beef at least for one day in a week.
"Not a single trader is following city corporations' fixed prices for beef. The government agencies should conduct mobile courts to keep prices of commodities within our reach," he said.
He alleged that many traders are selling buffalo meat in name of beef at Tk290-300 per kg.
Ariful Islam, a meat trader at Azimpur Chapra Mashjid area, said that the price of cow have increased significantly as big traders have reduced supply targeting increased sales during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
"Traders in rural and urban areas are storing the animals for gaining windfall profits ahead of the festival," he said.
An Indian ox, which can give 100 kgs of meat, is now being sold at Tk28000-28500, which was not more than 25000 two weeks back, he said.
Arman Kureshi, another meat trader at Nowabganjbazar in the city said that number of cow slaughtering has also reduced.
"We usually slaughter four cows a day which is now hardly two," he said.      
He also informed that the city corporation last fixed prices of meat for the month of Ramadan.

"Beef prices were fixed at Tk280 (local), Tk260 (imported) while buffalo meat prices was fixed at Tk250, mutton at Tk450," he said.
"After that we have got no direction from the authority concerned," he said.  
Secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Traders' Association Shamim Ahmed urged the city corporation for fixing prices of the product realistically considering current market prices of cow and buffalo.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan told the FE that the commerce ministry should immediately announce its plan of action ahead of the Eid-Ul-Azha and Sharadia Durga Puza.
"Prices of essentials have started to increase---meat, garlic, ginger, imported spices, vegetable prices have already increased unusually," he said.
"Powdered milk, edible oil are being sold at higher prices compared to that of world prices," he said.
"Market monitoring should be increased and a helpline should be set up under commerce ministry where consumers can lodge complaints," he added.