KARACHI, March 28: Persistent animal shortage and export of live animals have again caused a price flare-up in beef (bachia) by Rs5-10 per kg, while mutton price has witnessed no change.

Meat sellers are charging Rs110 per kg, as compared to Rs100, for bachia meat (boneless) while meat with bones is now being retailed at Rs85 instead of Rs80 per kg, meat retailers in Tariq Road and Federal B Area said.

Similarly, the price of meat without bones (big cow) is being sold at Rs100 as compared to Rs90 per kg. The rates of meat with bones are being charged at Rs80 as against Rs75 per kg.

No change was seen in the mutton prices in majority of the markets, selling at Rs150 per kg except for some posh localities where price hover between Rs160 and 170 per kg.

Consumers had witnessed the last price surge of meat in September 2002 when meat sellers had raised the price of beef without bones by Rs5-10 per kg.

The price of beef has gone up by Rs20-30 per kg in the last two years while mutton prices has surged by Rs30-40 per kg in the same period.

“We have been clamouring with the government to impose a ban on export of live animals in order to control prices but no action has been taken so far,” Vice Chairman of Meat Merchants Welfare Association (MMWA), Haji Mohammad Salim, told Dawn.

Live goats are being exported to the Middle East countries while a sizable shipment of live buffaloes and cows are being sent to Iran and Afghanistan via Quetta route.

“We are at present purchasing 40kg of bachia meat at the rate of Rs3,000 from the wholesale market as compared to Rs2,600 a year back,” Mr Salim claimed. Similarly, he added, goat meat in wholesale market is now selling at the rate of Rs1,900 to Rs1,950 per 40kg as compared to Rs1,700 to Rs1,800 seven months back.

He said that the market had been facing severe shortage of animals since the closure of Sindh-Rajesthan border in January 2002 owing to war fear and the following start of live animal exports.

Around 40-50 per cent of meat demand is met through animals smuggled in from India and the supplies of smuggled livestock from border has still not resumed, some meat retailers observed.

Exporters of leather and leather garments have also been urging the government to suspend export of live animals so that exporters could get skin of quality animals besides the ultimate price cut.

Chairman Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PLGMEA), Fawad Ijaz Khan, said that the association had also been demanding the government to impose a ban on export of live animals as the tanning industry was facing shortage of good quality raw hides and skins.

“We have now got a temporary relief as the industry is now consuming raw hides and skins of animals slaughtered in Eidul Azha. The industry will again face problems when these stocks will exhaust as the supply of hides and skins from slaughter houses is not sufficient to meet the requirement,” he said.

Export of livestock, mainly to Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East states, in 2001-2002 stood at Rs221 million as compared to Rs146 million in the same period of 2000-2001. Export in 2002-2003 is expected to cross over Rs250 million.

Iqbal Qureishi, General Secretary of MMWA, said a goat having 10-11kg meat, is now available at Rs2,000 as compared to Rs1,800 previously.

He said the pace of animal slaughtering had also fallen. As many as 6,000 goats are being slaughtered a day as compared to 10,000-12,000, while 1,800 bachia (cow) is being cut daily as compared to 2,500-3,000. The slaughtering of buffaloes has also declined to 600 per day from 1,000 in Karachi.

Currently, the city is consuming livestock arriving from Punjab and Sindh but it is not enough to meet the demand which used to be met from the smuggling of animals from the border.

Mr Qureishi also demanded suspension of export of live animal to Middle East and Gulf countries to overcome shortage. Besides exports, a sizable quantity of meat is also being smuggled to Iran and Afghanistan from Quetta. He said that even oxen was in high demand in Balochistan and priced at Rs18,000-20,000 these days as compared to previously Rs 12,000.