What consumers deserve – blame game or solid solutions?: Sudden surge in meat prices takes residents by surprise
What consumers deserve – blame game or solid solutions?: Sudden surge in meat prices takes residents by surprise
* Price of chicken soars to Rs 105 per kg, mutton Rs 300-380 per kg, eggs Rs 95 a dozen * Shopkeepers says mutton shortage results from Eid * Trade union leader says suppliers are to blame for price hike * Supplier asks for curbs on smugglers to control price
By Atif Khan
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Residents of the twin cities have been crying foul for long over perpendicular surge in meat prices, terming it a failure of city administrations. Most perturbed are the women who have to run the kitchen while the situation has exacerbated with decaying economy that has limited income of salaries class.“Price of chicken has now soared to Rs 105 a kg. On the second day of Eid, it was sold for Rs 62 a kg. Mutton, which was sold for Rs 270 a kg, is now not available even for Rs 300 a kg. Egg, which was sold for Rs 60 a dozen, is now sold for Rs 95 a dozen,” Shahina Masood, a resident of Islamabad, told Daily Times on Sunday.She said free-range (Desi) chicken was sold for Rs 270-300 a kg. “It is shocking that price of Desi chicken has almost doubled in a year as last year it was sold for Rs 160 a kg,” she said.She prices of rice and other elements used in poultry feed had come down with the decrease in fuel prices but it was not the case for chicken products. Official price of chicken is Rs 95 a kg and that of egg Rs 76 a dozen.Meat shortage: A visit to Aabpara Market, Karachi Company, Bunny Chowk, Committee Chowk and other markets revealed that the twin cities were badly short of mutton. Some big departmental stores had mutton but they were found selling it as higher as Rs 380 per kg against its official price Rs 270 a kg.“I have bought a lamb’s haunch for Rs 380 a kg and ribs for Rs 335 a kg from a multidimensional departmental store in Sector I-11 of Islamabad,” said Zaka Ashraf.Fish price: After mutton and chicken, prices of fish have shot up. China Raho was sold in the market for Rs 300-350 a kg compared with Rs 70 a kg last year, Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, a shopper at Aabpara Market, said.He said good quality Simon fish was sold for Rs 550 a kg compared with Rs 200 a kg last year.Market voices: Mutton dealers told Daily Times that mutton shortage had resulted from wholesale of animals on Eid-ul Azha. They said this load of demand led to increase in consumption of other animal products like egg, meat and beaf.It is not so incomprehensible that the rot lies somewhere else as prices differ in different locations. Mutton was sold for Rs 270-280 a kg in Rawalpindi; up to Rs 290 a kg in Sector G; up to Rs 320 a kg in Sector F and up to Rs 380 a kg in big departmental stores. Same is the story of chicken which was sold for Rs 94 a kg in Rawalpindi; Rs 100 in Sector G and up to Rs 105 in Sector F. Trader unions: Islamabad Meat Sellers Association President Khurshid Qureshi admitted that prices of mutton, fish and chicken had increased drastically but argued that meat consumption had increased because wedding season had set in. He said one-dish law did not serve the purpose. “In marriages, people hang up whole roasted lambs, goats and chickens to serve guests while keeping in the limit of one-dish law. This way, eight to 10 people would eat what is enough for about 20 if cooked normally,” he said. He did not have exact data but confirmed that daily consumption of meat went into thousands of kgs in the city. He said middleman was taking benefit of the situation the most while shopkeeper were exposed to public criticism and heavy fines imposed by the city governments. He said there was no check on suppliers and the negative tactics they used.He said 750 goats were sold to only one departmental store in one day in the recent week. He said this example was enough to assess the magnitude of sale of animals in the twin cities. Smuggling mafia: Requesting anonymity, a main meat supplier in Rawalpindi said the smuggling of meat to Afghanistan was in full swing. “The mafia is fully active to take the smuggled animals from Afghanistan to gulf sates, where a normal Pakistani goat weighing 20-22 kg easily fetches up to Rs 70,000,” he said.He said prices of meat could not come down as long as smuggling mafia was let loose. Through smuggling, only a few got rich at the cost of sufferings of the entire population, he said. Egg hoarding: Others said that egg price had gone up because of hoarding. They said two poultry houses in Sihala were hoarding thousand of eggs in their stores. The suppliers said egg price could come to Rs 35-40 a dozen if the hoarders were dealt with firmly.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\15\story_15-12-2008_pg11_1
* Price of chicken soars to Rs 105 per kg, mutton Rs 300-380 per kg, eggs Rs 95 a dozen * Shopkeepers says mutton shortage results from Eid * Trade union leader says suppliers are to blame for price hike * Supplier asks for curbs on smugglers to control price
By Atif Khan
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Residents of the twin cities have been crying foul for long over perpendicular surge in meat prices, terming it a failure of city administrations. Most perturbed are the women who have to run the kitchen while the situation has exacerbated with decaying economy that has limited income of salaries class.“Price of chicken has now soared to Rs 105 a kg. On the second day of Eid, it was sold for Rs 62 a kg. Mutton, which was sold for Rs 270 a kg, is now not available even for Rs 300 a kg. Egg, which was sold for Rs 60 a dozen, is now sold for Rs 95 a dozen,” Shahina Masood, a resident of Islamabad, told Daily Times on Sunday.She said free-range (Desi) chicken was sold for Rs 270-300 a kg. “It is shocking that price of Desi chicken has almost doubled in a year as last year it was sold for Rs 160 a kg,” she said.She prices of rice and other elements used in poultry feed had come down with the decrease in fuel prices but it was not the case for chicken products. Official price of chicken is Rs 95 a kg and that of egg Rs 76 a dozen.Meat shortage: A visit to Aabpara Market, Karachi Company, Bunny Chowk, Committee Chowk and other markets revealed that the twin cities were badly short of mutton. Some big departmental stores had mutton but they were found selling it as higher as Rs 380 per kg against its official price Rs 270 a kg.“I have bought a lamb’s haunch for Rs 380 a kg and ribs for Rs 335 a kg from a multidimensional departmental store in Sector I-11 of Islamabad,” said Zaka Ashraf.Fish price: After mutton and chicken, prices of fish have shot up. China Raho was sold in the market for Rs 300-350 a kg compared with Rs 70 a kg last year, Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, a shopper at Aabpara Market, said.He said good quality Simon fish was sold for Rs 550 a kg compared with Rs 200 a kg last year.Market voices: Mutton dealers told Daily Times that mutton shortage had resulted from wholesale of animals on Eid-ul Azha. They said this load of demand led to increase in consumption of other animal products like egg, meat and beaf.It is not so incomprehensible that the rot lies somewhere else as prices differ in different locations. Mutton was sold for Rs 270-280 a kg in Rawalpindi; up to Rs 290 a kg in Sector G; up to Rs 320 a kg in Sector F and up to Rs 380 a kg in big departmental stores. Same is the story of chicken which was sold for Rs 94 a kg in Rawalpindi; Rs 100 in Sector G and up to Rs 105 in Sector F. Trader unions: Islamabad Meat Sellers Association President Khurshid Qureshi admitted that prices of mutton, fish and chicken had increased drastically but argued that meat consumption had increased because wedding season had set in. He said one-dish law did not serve the purpose. “In marriages, people hang up whole roasted lambs, goats and chickens to serve guests while keeping in the limit of one-dish law. This way, eight to 10 people would eat what is enough for about 20 if cooked normally,” he said. He did not have exact data but confirmed that daily consumption of meat went into thousands of kgs in the city. He said middleman was taking benefit of the situation the most while shopkeeper were exposed to public criticism and heavy fines imposed by the city governments. He said there was no check on suppliers and the negative tactics they used.He said 750 goats were sold to only one departmental store in one day in the recent week. He said this example was enough to assess the magnitude of sale of animals in the twin cities. Smuggling mafia: Requesting anonymity, a main meat supplier in Rawalpindi said the smuggling of meat to Afghanistan was in full swing. “The mafia is fully active to take the smuggled animals from Afghanistan to gulf sates, where a normal Pakistani goat weighing 20-22 kg easily fetches up to Rs 70,000,” he said.He said prices of meat could not come down as long as smuggling mafia was let loose. Through smuggling, only a few got rich at the cost of sufferings of the entire population, he said. Egg hoarding: Others said that egg price had gone up because of hoarding. They said two poultry houses in Sihala were hoarding thousand of eggs in their stores. The suppliers said egg price could come to Rs 35-40 a dozen if the hoarders were dealt with firmly.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\15\story_15-12-2008_pg11_1
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