Traders accused of selling beef, mutton beyond official rates

Talha Bin Habib | Published: July 14, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Traders are selling beef and mutton in the capital's kitchen markets beyond the rates set by city corporations for the holy month of Ramadan, consumers alleged on Sunday.
The authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation had earlier fixed the prices of local beef and mutton for the Ramadan.
The DCCs (South and North) have fixed the price of local beef at Tk 280 per kg from the first of Ramadan to 26th Ramadan while foreign beef price at Tk 270 and buffalo meat at Tk 260 a kg. On the other hand the price of mutton such khashi was fixed at Tk 460 per kg while bokri at Tk 400 and lamb at Tk 400 per kg.
Visiting Kaptan Bazaar, Fakirapool Bazaar, Santinagar Bazaar and Khilgaon Bazaar on Sunday, the FE correspondent found traders selling per kg of local variety of beef at Tk 300 while foreign beef (Indian cows) at Tk 290 and buffalo at Tk 280. Per kg of khashi was sold at Tk 480 while bokri at Tk 420 and lamb at Tk 410.
Customers alleged that the traders are flouting the city corporation directives while selling beef and mutton.
"It's just a routine work by the city corporations for fixing the meat and mutton prices for Ramadan. In practice, traders are not following the directives of the authorities," Md Rashid, a private service holder told the FE, at Kaptan Bazaar.
"We call upon the authority to intensify the market monitoring drive to protect consumer's interests," he said.
"Does it make any sense of price fixation if traders don't follow the directives of the city corporation?" Mr Rashid asked.
Traders also acknowledged prices of all kinds of meat, specially beef, went up, but insisted high prices of cow and goat force them to sell beef and mutton higher than the prices fixed by the city corporations.
In Bangladesh, per capita annual demand for meat is around 80 kgs, but consumption is as low as 7.3 kgs, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A leader of Dhaka Meat Traders Association said that they have asked the traders to strictly follow the directives on meat prices fixed by the city corporations.
An official of the DCC (South) said that his agency would intensify monitoring drive to keep unscrupulous traders from profiteering.