Buyers complain of inflated meat prices

Islamabad: The meat prices, especially the broiler chicken's, skyrocketed here during Eid days to the misery of the common man.

As the three days post-Ramazan festival witnesses family reunions and get-togethers of friends, the sellers of chicken, beef and mutton record high sales.

This Eid ul Fitr is no different.

However, buyers complain about inflated meat prices blaming them on bad governance, especially ineffective price control mechanism.

According to them, the broiler chicken’s meat was sold for around Rs450 per kg against the official rate of per kg, mutton around Rs1,400 per kg against Rs800 per kg and beef around Rs800 per kg against Rs400 per kg.

The people said they preferred beef to chicken. Some turned to frozen chicken, which was available at cheaper rate than fresh one.

Chicken sellers claimed that they sold less chicken than expected due to high rates.

They said shortages caused price hike and profiteering by poultry farmers and middlemen were to blame for it.

The chicken sellers said the prices were likely to decline on Monday when the new rates would be announced by the poultry association.

Some poultry dealers claimed that the outbreak of ranikhet, the virulent Newcastle disease, killed chicken on a large scale and thus, causing shortages and high rates.

Mutton and beef sellers, too, acknowledged the price hike was artificial. They said the rates would normalise after Eid celebrations were over.