SHILLONG: COVID-19 seems to have given meat vendors the license to raise their prices sky high.
While pork now sells at Rs 340 a kilo it is the price of mutton that will ensure that people stay away from that red meat not because of health concerns but because it is too heavy on the pocket.
Mutton sells at a whopping Rs 600 a kg at Laitumkhrah market while in some other markets like Nongmynsong it was selling at Rs 700 a kg, thereby making it the most expensive meat at this moment.
The price of mutton had shot up to Rs 800 in some localities earlier in the month.
The price of beef too has gone up to Rs 400-450 depending on which cut a person is looking for. But that’s not all. Broiler chicken which used to sell at Rs 150-160 per kg has now shot up to Rs 320-350 per kg, nearly double the price.
There is no regulatory body to keep a check on the prices of meat and fish which are apparently not considered essential commodities but these are the only sources of proteins for non-vegetarians. Amidst the pandemic when people are advised to build their immunity by eating protein rich diets, most protein sources have become unaffordable for the common person.
Then there are those that do not take broiler chicken but go for local (country) chicken. These now sell at Rs 550 per kg. After they are dressed a 2 kg chicken barely weighs 1.2 kg at the most.
Even fish is now out of the palate of many because of its unaffordability. So what do people eat to build their immune system? That’s a question left unanswered. At this rate it will be near impossible for most families to afford proteins from meat sources. Considering that all varieties of legumes (dal) are also selling between Rs 80-120 per kg a daily meal for many will mean just rice and watery dal and potato or some vegetable that are still within the reach of the large majority of people.
