The recent decrease in the price of beef has brought relief to the public.
Previously sold at around Tk800 per kg, the price of beef has now dropped to Tk595-600. People are rushing to buy beef with a reduction of Tk200 per kg, leading to long queues at almost all meat shops.
Dhaka Tribune spoke to Khalil Ahmed, a meat seller from Dhaka’s Shahjahanpur area, who initiated a significant change by lowering the price of beef.
He said: “This initiative has been taken so that every person can afford to eat beef. People had stopped consuming meat because they couldn't afford it, even though they visited meat shops.”
His sales have significantly increased compared to before. Khalil mentioned: “Earlier, only three to four cows were sold, but after reducing the price, now 30 to 35 cows are being sold.”
Some attribute the fall in the price of beef to the low sales of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha. However, Khalil believes that the main reason is the decrease in beef consumption.
He explained: “People actually stopped eating beef. Due to this, the sale of cows was low, and the number of unsold cows also increased. Now, sellers are offering cows at a lower price.”
However, Khalil's efforts were not well received by other businessmen.
On December 3, the National Consumers' Rights Protection (DNCRP) arranged a seminar where meat traders, the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers’ Association (BDFA), the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, supershop representatives, and Khalil discussed this issue. Others engaged in a heated argument with Khalil and representatives from CAB.
The meeting ended in a rumpus without reaching any decision. DNCRP Director General AHM Shafiquzzaman instructed the traders to set the price and inform the department at that time.
Regarding the quality of Khalil’s meat, Abdul Jabbar Mondal, assistant director of Dhaka DNCRP, stated in the seminar: "Many people claimed that the quality of Khalil’s meat is bad. However, upon investigation, the quality of Khalil’s meat was found to be much better than that of others."
Khalil also defended his products, saying: “No one sells beautiful and good cows like me. Everyone knows this.”
Though Khalil does not consider anyone as an opponent, he said: “No one is my opponent. Everyone is my brother. At the end of the day, we are all businessmen. But if we had all reduced the price of meat together, there would have been no conflict.”
Haji Mia, another meat seller in Khalil’s area, criticised Khalil's business practices. He said: “The way Khalil sells meat goes against our business principles. Local meat buyers prefer good-quality meat over cheap meat from Khalil’s shop.”
Rabiul Alam, secretary general of the Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Traders’ Association, commented on Khalil’s recent success, saying: “Khalil has earned crores by selling meat these past few days. Let’s see how long he can sustain selling meat at this price."
Khalil responded: “Nobody can keep the fixed rate of raw material. If we all can sell meat at a low profit, then the price of meat will not increase so much. But yes, the price of meat will increase at some point. If sales decline, then I will have to raise the price. There are 35 employees in the store, and I have to pay their salaries. No one wants to work without good pay.”
He added: “If the government takes the initiative, beef can be sold at Tk500 per kg. We, the meat traders, do not make much profit. Many do business with great difficulty. But if everyone works together, everyone’s business will be better.”
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) proposed fixing the ratio of meat and fat in the seminar to resolve the conflict between the meat and fat ratio. The association suggested that fixing the ratio of meat, fat, and bone would resolve such controversies.
Khalil expressed frustration about the country’s low cow production despite favourable climate conditions.
He said: “There should never be a shortage of cows in our country. Our country has good water and good weather, but we do not produce cows compared to that.”
Khalil also voiced concerns about the price of rawhide, attributing the increase in the price of beef to the low price of rawhide.
He explained: “Some 15 years ago, we sold a rawhide piece for Tk3,500. Now, the price should be Tk7,000-8,000. But we sell it for Tk400 to Tk500. This sharp decline in rawhide prices is affecting us as well as the consumers."
“It is because of the big leather traders that we suffer. It would be great for us if the government could look into this.”
