Traders were still selling beef at a high rate on Tuesday, defying the city corporation-fixed rate.
The price of beef, which has been on the rise over several months, has already gone beyond the reach of the common people.
On Monday, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) fixed the beef price at Tk 500-Tk 525 a kg.
But during a visit to some kitchen markets in the city on Tuesday, this FE correspondent found that beef was selling at Tk 550-Tk 600 a kg. And no outlet was selling beef at below Tk 550 a kg.
The city corporation also fixed buffalo meat at Tk 480 a kg, goat (khasi) meat at Tk 750 a kg, and meat of other goats and sheep at Tk 650 a kg.
Meanwhile, buffalo meat was selling at Tk 480-Tk 500 a kg and goat (khasi) meat at Tk 750-Tk 800 a kg on Tuesday.
The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) recorded an 8.0-12 per cent hike in red meat prices just over three days.
The current price of beef saw an increase of 22.3 per cent, compared to the last year's price, according to the TCB.
Nurul Islam, a member 0f Mohammadpur Town Hall Market Management Committee, said: "The city corporations fixed the rate long after the beef price rose to Tk 550 a kg."
"As far as I know, no trader is selling beef at the official rate in the market," he said.
"The city corporations have made a mockery with the consumers, as they won't be able to buy beef at the fixed rate," said Shafiul Islam, a primary schoolteacher at Madhubazar in Rayer Bazar area of the city.
Essential items like meat and fish have suddenly become luxury items, as people with limited income like him couldn't afford to buy meat, the key protein source, he added.
Secretary general of Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Merchants' Association Rabiul Alam, however, claimed that prices of beef come down in many city areas and that other traders will also be bound to follow the city corporation-fixed rate.
He urged the commerce ministry and the monitoring teams of the city corporations to conduct mobile court drives and cancel licences of meat traders who are not selling beef at the fixed rate. Secretary of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said it is a matter of great concern that there are no monitoring activities in the market despite illogical price hike of many items, including sugar, beef, chickpea and broiler chicken.
The government should take stern action against the meat traders who are ignoring the fixed rate of beef, he suggested.
Meanwhile, there are no changes in the prices of brinjal and chicken that have already been selling at a high price before the start of Ramadan.
Broiler chicken was selling at Tk 160-Tk 165 a kg, layer chicken at Tk 195-205 a kg, local chicken at Tk 500-Tk 550 a kg and Pakistani chicken at Tk 300-Tk 350 a kg on Tuesday. And brinjal was selling at Tk 60-Tk 80 a kg on the day.
The price of cucumber witnessed a hike by Tk 10 and it was selling at Tk 40-Tk 60 a kg depending on varieties.
