September 4, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Saani25,1423

KARACHI, Sept 3: Beef prices have started crawling up in the local market following a shortage of supply of livestock. The livestock supply from across the border has come to a suspension since January this year, because of the deployment of armies of Pakistan and India on the border.

Around 40-50 per cent of meat demand is met through animals smuggled from India. “Even today the supplies of smuggled livestock from border has been put on hold,” claims meat retailers while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.

The boneless meat of veal (bachia) now sells at Rs100 per kg as compared to Rs90 per kg a few months back. In some areas, it is being sold at Rs110-120 per kg. Last year, it was being retailed at Rs80 per kg. Meat (veal) with bones is being sold at Rs75 per kg from Rs70 per kg. However, some retailers in posh areas are charging Rs80 per kg.

The new price of beef without bones (big cow) is selling at Rs90 as compared to Rs80 per kg and with bones at Rs60-65 per kg.

A year and a half back, mutton was available at Rs120 per kg. Its price rose to Rs130 per kg in January this year, rising to Rs140 a month back, while some dealers are charging Rs150 in posh areas. In areas like Burns Road, its price is being tagged at Rs160 per kg. Around 25 per cent of city’s shops are selling mutton at Rs150 per kg, a meat dealer said.

In wholesale, the price of beef now ranges between Rs2,600- 2,800 per 40 kg as compared to Rs2,200-2,300 per 40 kg. A normal cow is currently available at Rs9,000-10,000 as compared to Rs7,000-8,000.

The meat of cow (big) now sells at Rs1,800-2,000 per 40 kg as compared to Rs1,200-1,400 per 40 kg. A goat, having 10-11 kg meat, is now available at Rs2,000 as compared to Rs1,800.

Consumers had been witnessing meat price flare-up since January when tension at the border had intensified, resulting in closure of the Sindh-Rajhastan border because of war fear between the two arch rivals. Currently, city is consuming livestock arriving from Punjab and Sindh but it is not sufficient to meet the deficit which has arrived due to border tension. Livestock was also arriving from Balochistan but it had stopped now.

As many as 8,000-8,500 goats are now being daily slaughtered in Karachi as compared to 10,000, while the total slaughtering of cows/oxen/veal now stands at 3,500 daily in which the share of veal is 50 per cent, said general secretary, Meat Merchants Welfare Association (MMWA), Iqbal Qureishi.

He said consumers are a bit selective these days since prices have gone up as they now prefer to purchase as per their requirement instead of buying in bulk.

He said that meat is also being exported to the Middle East and Gulf countries, which needs to be suspended until the shortage of the animals is over.

He said the Balochistan traders lift meat from the city market to fulfil the demand of Afghan refugees. Besides, a sizable quantity of meat is also being smuggled to Iran and Afghanistan. Iqbal said that even oxen is now in high demand in Balochistan, which is priced at Rs18,000 as compared to Rs12,000.

Meanwhile, a senior official in the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said that total meat exports during 2001-2002 stood at $3.4 million. He expects an increase of exports up to $10 million as the Saudi Arabia has lifted ban on meat last month. He added that the Saudi government is expected to issue a royal decree in one or two weeks after which exporters would resume export of sheep and goat meat.

Shortage of animals in the market had also created some problems for the leather industry due to slow supply of hides and skins, a leather exporter said adding that the outgoing fiscal year did not prove a good year as far as leather and leather garments exports were concerned.

Pakistan’s total leather manufacturers’ exports in July-June 2001-2002 dropped by 13 per cent to $370 million from $425 million in the same period of 2000-2001. Out of total exports, leather garments exports stood at $311 million, showing a fall of 17 per cent in value as compared to $375 million in the 2000-2001. Leather exporters had also faced a tough time after September 11 incidents in the US owing to drastic fall in orders from the US and European buyers.

According to government figures, goat production in the last two to three years has been estimated between 47 to 49 million and buffalo production has been hovering between 22 to 23 million. Cattle production has been estimated at 22 million.