This festive season, mutton prices are all set to go up thanks to the increase in the rates of goats and sheep.
The prices have escalated by a couple of thousands owing to huge demand for the upcoming Dasara and Bakrid festivals.
Meat consumption goes up phenomenally during these festivals. To meet the huge demand, cattle farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and other States bring goats and sheep to sell in the city markets. The meat is currently priced between Rs. 400 and Rs. 450 a kilogram.
Sheep weighing about 10 kg, which is now sold for a price between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 5,000, will be sold for around Rs. 6,000, while the price will be higher for livestock weighing between 12 and 15 kg.
“Generally, people prefer sheep weighing 10 to 12 kg during Bakrid, and it will cost between Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 6,500 each,” says S. Mahesh, a commission agent at the Jiyaguda sheep market.
The hike in diesel prices and tension in the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions will also impact the prices. Transportation costs are expected to drastically go up, and traders will eventually pass on the costs to the customers.
Given the speculation among cattle farmers and traders, several of them are reluctant to part with their livestock in anticipation of good prices during the season, says Maqbool Qureshi, a mutton shop owner.
Even as traders hope for better business in the coming days, customers, on the contrary, are worried over the rising prices.
“At this rate, it will be tough to adjust our budgets, and we will have to cut down the requirement,” says Anzer Suleiman, a medical practitioner from Charminar.
