The price of beef continued to rise last week in the capital despite a decline in the prices of cattle across the country, depriving consumers of the red meat at reasonable prices.
Prices of potato and garlic, one of the staple spices, also showed upward trend in the last seven days ending on Thursday, augmenting woes of the commoners further.
Beef was sold at Tk 500-Tk 540 per kilogram at different kitchen markets and meat shops in the city on the day, a Tk 20 hike in a week.
A Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) data showed that beef prices increased by 8.0 per cent in the last one-and-a-half-week.
Even buffalo meat was selling at Tk 460-Tk 480 a kg in Dhaka city for the last seven days, Tk 30 hike in a week.
Traders in the capital said higher taxes at Gabtoli cattle market, the city's main cattle market, and extortion on the highway are the main reasons pushing up beef prices.
The prices are increasing at a time when cattle prices showed a downward trend, said CAB president Golam Rahman.
He said prices of cow witnessed downturn in the last two months as many small scale growers and farmers sold their animals to the buyers at lower prices as fodder become costlier during the same period.
Shortage of necessary fodder, especially straw, amid low Aman production in the country, also forced hundreds of farmers to sell their cattle at cheaper prices, he said.
A local ox, weighing 100 kgs, was sold at Tk 29,000-Tk 30,000 last week in Rangpur, Kushtia, Narshingdi and elsewhere in the country, 22-23 per cent decline.
Meat of the local ox was selling at Tk 500-Tk 540 a kg in Dhaka retails, which was Tk 460-Tk 480 two weeks back. He said middlemen are eating up lion's share of benefits amid lack of market monitoring.
When contacted, Md Rabiul Islam, secretary of Bangladesh Meat Producers Association in the city said a 'dual policy' has been adopted at Gabtoli Permanent Cattle Market in realising taxes which is another reason for high-priced beef.
He said hundreds of traders didn't get licence from the Dhaka North City Corporation despite trying to get one in the last three years.
The traders are forced to buy cow paying 5.0 per cent taxes (hasil) when normal hasil is Tk 100 per animal, he said.
He said Gabtoli market lease holders are charging more than Tk 500 per cow even from the licence-holding traders if the cost of an animal crosses Tk 50,000.
He said prices of beef cannot be minimised without reforming the licence issuing process by the city corporations.
Md Iman Ali, joint convener of Kaptanbazar Meat Traders Association said extortion on the highway is one of the key reasons behind hike in cattle prices in Dhaka.
He said a trader is forced to pay minimum Tk 2,000 for the animals while bringing those from Rangpur, Dinajpour or Kushtia.
Many autonomous organisations, with the backing of transport labours' associations, extort money at more than 20 points between Kushtia and Dhaka, he added.
Prices of garlic increased by Tk 20 per kg and was selling at Tk 70-Tk 100 a kg last week.
Potato prices increased by Tk 2.0-Tk 3.0 and sold at Tk 18-Tk 22 a kg.
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