Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
The price of beef has decreased in the market of Bangladesh. And it has an impact on the price of other animal proteins in the country. Within couple of weeks, the price of beef in the Dhaka market has decreased to about one and a half to two hundred taka per kg. As a result, the prices of farmed fish and broiler chickens have started to decrease in the market.
In Dhaka Beef which was sold at Tk 750 to Tk 800 per kg is now available at Tk 650. Somewhere beef is being bought for 550 taka per kg. As a result, not only middle-class buyers, but many lower-middle-class and low-income people are queuing up at shops to buy beef.
This change in prices was seen on Friday, the busiest day of various markets in Dhaka. The same picture was seen last Saturday also. In the morning, most of the shops in Moghbazar, Malibagh, Shahjahanpur and Rampura markets of the capital sold beef at Tk 600 per kg. A little less beef was available in some stores. Shops where prices are lower are crowded with shoppers. Sales of farmed fish and broiler chickens have declined as people buy more beef than before. As a result, the prices of these two products have decreased slightly.
Khorshed Alam, a beef seller said, ‘Earlier it was difficult to sell 2 to 3 cows a day. Now 12 to 15 cows have to be slaughtered a day. Due to high sales pressure, we are putting the bones and flesh together. Still everyone is buying. The sale is like a festival.’
Khorshed Alam said that his profit per kg of meat sales has decreased compared to earlier, but he sees good business prospects as customers are turning to beef shops.
After visiting various markets of the capital on Friday the prices of farmed fish like tilapia, pangas, roe, koi and horn have decreased by Tk 20 to Tk 50 per kg compared to last week. Medium and small size tilapia and pangas were sold at Tk 200. In some shops it was seen to be sold for 50 180 taka.
The price of farmed fish is Tk 200 to Tk 230 per kg. And a kg of horn has come down to Tk 350. If it is big, it is kept like 400 rupees. The price of cotton fish has also decreased, a kg of cultivated cotton has fallen to Tk 300 to Tk 400. However, there was no big difference in the price of fish from the river and Haor.
Traders say that if beef is sold cheaper than before, it will further affect the fish market. Tanjib Islam, a fish seller in Moghbazar market, said, “There are fewer buyers in the fish market due to the decrease in the price of meat. It has to release fish at a low price. Sales are lower than before. At the same time, the amount of profit has also decreased.’
On the other hand, broiler chicken has reduced from Tk 10 to Tk 20 per kg to Tk 170 in most markets. And the price of sonali chicken has decreased by Tk 280 per kg. Some shopkeepers keep the sonali chicken even less if you bargain.
The price of broiler chicken eggs was on the decline after import of eggs from India. With the decrease in the price of chicken, the price of eggs has decreased a little more. A dozen brown eggs are available for Rs 120 to 125. And white eggs at 115 to 120 taka. If you take more white eggs, some people are keeping Tk 110.
Beef sellers said that the price of beef has fallen more in the areas of the capital where people with limited income live. Last March, the price of beef rose to a maximum of Tk 800 per kg. This puts beef beyond the reach of people with limited income. Traders were also in trouble due to reduced sales. Now sales have increased several times.
The buyers are quite happy with the reduction in the price of beef. They think that the pressure will reduce a little as the price of fish and meat starts to decrease. Nasreen Begum, a housewife in Rampura Bazar, said, “After the Eid-ul-Azha, no more beef was bought. I also came after hearing that many people bought meat at a low price. The kids had been talking for a long time. It would have been difficult to buy if the price had not decreased.”