SHILLONG, April 8: The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department will be holding a joint meeting with the Khasi Jaintia Butcher’s Welfare Association (KJBWA) and Syiem of Hima Mylliem before fixing the price of beef.
Sources informed that Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is in-charge of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, had suggested that the department should regulate and fix the price of beef to ensure that the public is not affected due to overpricing.
According to official sources, the Syiem of Hima Mylliem had sought for some more time reasoning that they wanted to solve some issues relating to the cattle market of the Hima Mylliem at Khanapara.
When contacted, KJBWA president, Generous Warlarpih, said that they will accept the price fixed by the government on the condition that the cattle which they buy for slaughtering should also be sold in terms of kilograms. “As of now, the cattle traders are fixing the price of cattle at their own whims and fancies. We will be facing huge loss if government fixes the price of beef in adherence to the same system where cattle traders dictate the price,” Warlarpih told reporters here on Thursday.
According to him, they are facing great difficulties to procure cattle for slaughtering since maximum number of the cattle heads imported into Meghalaya are illegally smuggled to Bangladesh.
“We have to travel to various parts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region to get cattle for slaughtering. The cattle market of Hima Mylliem at Khanapara is no longer functional. The market has become a place for loading and unloading of cattle coming from outside the state,” he said.
The KJBWA president claimed cattle smuggling is a major reason for shortage of beef in the state.
It is worth mentioning here that the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, Iwasanda Laloo, had also recommended that the department needs to form a price fixation or a price monitoring committee for cattle trade.
The DC had informed that the district administration had recommended for the formation of a price monitoring committee which comprises members as deemed fit by the AH&V department to ensure uniformity in the trading of cattle supplied from other states and from within Meghalaya.
The Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department had, on March 15, 2020, conducted an enquiry on the issue of skyrocketing price of beef.
The enquiry report mentioned several recommendations which were sent to the Commissioner and Secretary of AH&V department for further action.
The district administration had suggested that in coordination with the KJBWA, the department should fix a uniform retail price for all beef products that are sold in the retail market and to display a price board for the convenience of the consumers.
In the absence of a price fixation committee, there is bound to be an ad-hoc nature of fixation, the DC had said. “The crux of the enquiry report findings was that there is no mechanism, to date, regarding the price fixation of beef. The association said there is a shortage of supply and price fluctuation of cattle coming from Assam,” Laloo added.
It may be mentioned that the KJBWA had fixed the price of beef at Rs 1,000 per kg three weeks back.