**New Decision on Beef Price: No Fixed Price Anymore**
From now on, there will be no fixed price for beef, announced the meat business association. The decision comes after the recent practice of selling beef at 650 Bangladeshi Taka per kilogram, prompting traders to attempt selling it at 700 Taka per kilogram. Gholam Murtaza, the chairman of the association, stated on Monday (January 22) that many traders were falling victim to extortion in their efforts to sell meat at the previously set price. In light of this situation, meat business owners recently held a meeting to discuss beef prices.
According to the decision made during the meeting, there will be no fixed price for beef anymore. However, there is an immediate attempt to sell beef at 700 Taka per kilogram, as announced by Gholam Murtaza. To know how long this new price will be effective, Murtaza mentioned that it depends on the market price of beef. If the price of beef increases or decreases, it will be adjusted accordingly. The priority is to keep the meat prices as low as possible, considering the convenience of the customers.
Imran Hossen, the president of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA), commented on the situation, stating that there is no justification for increasing the price of beef by 50 Taka per kilogram. He argued that in the past 3-4 months, the prices of cattle feed have not increased, and as a result, the price of beef should remain stable.
Notably, the meat business association did not engage in any discussion with the BDFA about increasing the beef price. In December, during the determination of beef prices, it was agreed that there would be discussions between the meat business association and BDFA regarding price coordination. However, no such discussion has taken place, and the association has unilaterally decided to increase the price without any mutual agreement.
On the other hand, consumers report that beef is already being sold in the market at prices ranging from 680 to 700 Taka per kilogram. In some places, even though it is available at 650 Taka, concerns about the quality of the meat are being raised.
This decision comes after the theatrical developments in early December when the maximum price for one kilogram of beef was fixed at 650 Taka in the market. Subsequently, it was announced that the price of beef would be determined monthly, depending on the price of cattle in the market.
