Local Goat Meat Prices Up

Even while local goatmeat is priced higher in normal times, during Ramadan its demand shoots up, leading to a price rise. Most of the people prefer to have mutton dishes at Iftar and dinner during the holy month.

Butchers blame the wholesale suppliers for price rise, who in turn blame major importers and exporters, who send meat to countries, such as Saudi Arabia, at higher prices.

Mansoor Ahmed Khan, butchery keeper at Madinat Zayed, said local goat meat is being sold between 
Dh45 and Dh48 per kilogram,against the previous prices of Dh38 and Dh42 for a kg.

With an increase of Dh1 a kilogram, meats from India, Pakistan and Australia are priced between Dh24 and Dh25 a kg. These varieties are preferred by people from Arab and Asian countries because of taste and reasonable prices, said Mohammed Zeeshan, butcher.

Zeeshan said that there was a huge difference in the prices of local and Indian and Pakistani meat. Most of the Asians prefer mutton from 
their own countries.

Another butchery keeper, Mohammed Ali, said, “We had toincreasethe price because we are buying meat from the suppliers at an higher price. We accordingly take a dirham extra on 
each kilogram.”

“Our business has gone down this Ramadan as most of the expatriates are on vacation. However, some Arabs do come to buy meats from Somalia and Australia,” said Zeeshan.

The prices of mutton may be witnessing an increase, but fish prices in Abu Dhabi are stable despite a decrease in catch due to high temperature nowadays, said Ali Mohammed Mansour Al Mansoury, general manager of the Abu Dhabi Fishermen Cooperative Society.

Al Mansoury said, “If we compare this year’s fish prices with that of the same season last year, they have gone down by up to 25 per cent.Though the catch may be less, there is no shortage of fish.”

“As compared to other months, the catch of fish during summer season is marginally less, but we have facilitated fishermen to cautiously go deep into the sea to get ample amount of fishto avoid shortage in the market,” he 
pointed out.

However, shopkeepers at Mina Fish Market in the capital said the prices of fish these days were fluctuating by Dh2 to Dh5 depending on the catch of the day and the size of the fish.

Fish seller Abdul Hakeem said prices were high because of the summer season. “Now we are selling small hamour at Dh38-44 a kg and the big one for
 Dh45 to Dh50 a kg. The prices of sherry, tuna, and other popular fish
have witnessed an increase of Dh2
 to Dh3. — anwar@khaleejtimes.com