Get ready to pay more to the butchers

Some butchers have upped their rates by as much as 50%.

ISLAMABAD:

To beat sky rocketing inflation, butchers in the twin cities have increased slaughter rates.

Last year butchers charged Rs1,500 to Rs2,000 for slaughtering a goat or a sheep; this year they are asking for Rs2,000 to Rs3,000, according to an informal survey conducted by The Express Tribune.

For slaughtering a bull they used to charge Rs7000-8000; this year they have increased it to Rs8000 to Rs10,000 depending on size and weight.

Mian Asfaq, a butcher in Rawalpindi, said the reason behind the increase in rates is inflation.

“There has been a phenomenal surge in prices of everything from tomatoes to electricity. We are living in this country and have to bear the expenses, therefore this Eid is the only time for us to earn and save money for the future,” he said.

Shaukat Hussian, a butcher in Satellite Town Rawalpindi, said they increased slaughter rates with the increase in prices of the animals. He added that if people can afford expensive animals, “they can also afford to pay more for slaughtering.”

He added this year they will have to pay their helpers more and the travel costs have also gone up.

Shakeel Abbasi, who is running his shop in G-9 Islamabad, said, “Throughout the year we wait for this day.” He said they use the income they generate on Eid to pay for their children’s fees, home rent and other costs. The rates, he said, are in line with inflation.

Pakistan Butchers Welfare Association President Khurshid Qureshi said that “it is the right of butchers to demand these rates.” He added that this is the only day in the year when all professional butchers come out on the street to slaughter animals and earn money, charging according to inflation, which was a right.

He added that 500 slaughtering points have been established in Islamabad, whereas throughout the country all the meat shops have been declared slaughtering points. He feared that there will be less slaughtering this year compared to last year because of the higher prices.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2011.