Beef prices stay the same despite promises

Beef is still selling at the going market rate of Tk 750 to Tk 800 per kg in Dhaka even though the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association (BDFA) recently reduced the price by Tk 50.

Last Monday, the BDFA decided to bring down the price of beef with immediate effect in a bid to provide people some relief amid the inflationary pressure that has curbed their purchasing power.

Imran Hossain, president of the BDFA, had made the announcement during a workshop organised by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) at the National Press Club.

But the move of the association has had no impact on the overall retail prices at kitchen markets in Dhaka, according to various traders.

During a visit to kitchen markets in the Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Farmgate and Khilgaon areas of Dhaka today, it was found that beef is indeed being sold for at least Tk 750 per kg.

Pappu Rahman, who owns a butchery called Pappu Gosto Bitan at Kalshi Bazar in Mirpur, has been selling beef at Tk 800 per kg since Eid-ul-Azha.

Similarly, a few butchers at Muslim Bazar in the same area said they are selling it at Tk 780 per kg.

Another local butcher said they have to buy cattle at the same price as before and so, it is not possible to reduce the price of beef.

Echoing the same, Ramzan Dewan, a butcher at the Town Hall kitchen market in Mohammadpur, said they too have been selling beef for Tk 780 per kg.

However, Imran Hossain, president of the BDFA, ‍said they have been selling beef for Tk 50 less as announced.

"I spoke to traditional meat traders in Dhaka, who said the demand for beef has not returned to previous levels following Eid," he said.

So, even though the price of cattle has come down, they are not able to sell the beef at lower prices, Hossain added.

DNCRP Director General AHM Shafiquzzaman, said BDFA members who used to sell beef at Tk 750 per kg are now selling it at Tk 700 per kg.

He said this impact of reducing prices will gradually fall on kitchen markets.