Beef prices shot up to as high as Tk 760 a kg on Friday in an unregulated market just a couple of days ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Lack of market monitoring by concerned government agencies and the two city corporations has been encouraging traders to fix the price at their wish, market experts observe.
The price of beef, the most popular protein item during major festivals has increased to Tk 700-760 on Friday from Tk 650-700 earlier.
Nader Ali, a Chairman Goli resident at West Dhanmondi, said the price increased by Tk 50-60 a kg just in the last two days and Tk 150 a kg in one and half months.
“I had a target to buy 4.0 kgs for the Eid but purchased only 3.0 kgs for the high price,” he said/
He said most essential prices continued to rise causing immense difficulties to run a family.
Jahura Begum, a resident of the Rayer Bazar area, found bargaining with a shop owner over the proportion of bone compared to solid beef of her 3.0 kgs of purchase.
She said the price has increased to Tk 720 a kg while traders have also raised the proportion of bone to make more profits.
Ms Jahura said out of her 3.0 kgs of beef, more than 800 grammes might be bone.
Moin Mahtab, owner of Bhai Bhai Meat Shop at Shangkar in the city, said the proportion of bone is still the same as 125-150 grammes.
"But as the price has increased notably, the presence of bone is pinching the eyes of the customers", said the trader.
An ox, weighing 180-200 kgs, is selling at Tk 125,000 to 130,000 at the Gabtoli Permanent Cattle Market in the city, above 40 per cent rise just in two months.
He said the price further increased by Tk 4000-5000 per animal in the last three days at Gabtoli.
Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Merchants' Association secretary general Rabiul Alam said rocketing costs of cattle feed have forced farmers to raise the prices of the animal.
Adding to this, the syndication of big traders in Dhaka and their allies in a few cattle rearing districts have made the condition worst further, he said.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice president SM Nazer Hossain, said there is no regulation in the beef market by the concerned agencies.
Dhaka South and North City Corporations didn't fix the maximum price of beef for the last three years, he said.
The government mobile courts are also almost absent in the beef market.
He urged for strict market monitoring ahead of Eid to give customers some sort of relief.
About 10 to 11 million cows are slaughtered annually across the country of which 5.0 million are consumed alone in Eid-ul-Azha and 1.5 million in Eid-ul-Fitr, according to the Department of Livestock Services.
Demand usually surges three to four times during Eid festivals, said the government entity.
