Low-priced milk, eggs, meat attract middle earners too
Low-income people said the product prices at the government’s mobile shops were not low enough for them
Middle class people flocked to the fisheries and livestock ministry's mobile shops that sold milk, eggs and meat at low prices in the capital, but low-income earners were not attracted to them as the decreased prices still remained out of their reach.
The government mobile shops sold 1kg of beef at Tk640 (market rate Tk750), mutton at Tk940 (market price Tk1,100), and dressed broiler chicken at Tk340 (market rate Tk390). The shops also sold milk at Tk80 per litre, while the market price was Tk90, and eggs at Tk10 per piece, while the market price was Tk12.
Mohammad Badsha, a rickshaw puller who went to the Khamarbari sales point yesterday to buy beef, told TBS, "Poor people like us cannot buy meat at these prices. These shops are for those who are affluent.
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"I have to pay Tk3,500 for rent. We spend the least on food. I would buy 1kg of beef if it was Tk500 and provide my family with a little meat during Ramadan."
Imam, a CNG auto-rickshaw driver, said, "I thought I would be able to buy meat from here, but the prices are too high. Mutton is Tk940 per kg, and chicken is Tk340 per kg. These are not for us. Where would I get so much money?
Another CNG driver said he could just buy milk and eggs from the low-priced shop.
Mostafizur Rahman, a private company employee, said, "I came to the shop because it was a holiday, but I did not save much. I had to buy an egg at Tk10 per piece while it is Tk11.25 at Karwan Bazar. Mutton was Tk960 per kg, which was not much lower than the market price. It would be best if these were available here at half the market price."
Jahidul Rashid, who came to the shop from Indira Road, said, "It was a joke. I had to stand for hours in the sun to buy the products. Even then, I did not save much. The price of the product should be reduced further and sold at the same price as last year."
During Ramadan last year, government mobile shops sold beef at Tk550 per kg, mutton at Tk800 per kg, dressed broiler meat at Tk200 per kg, milk at Tk60 per litre and four pieces of eggs at Tk30.
Taslima Begum from the Tejgaon area said, "I went through so much trouble to come here, but found that there is only chicken left because it remained unsold as its price was close to the market rate. I bought 1kg of chicken for Tk340. It would have been better if the price of this chicken was Tk200 per kg here."
Meanwhile, many customers returned empty handed as the products were sold out soon after opening the shops.
One such customer, Preeti Sultana, said more products should have been kept in these shops.
Mokaaddas Islam, cashier at the Khamarbari dealership truck, said, "We had bought 100kg of beef, 70kg of dress broiler chicken, 2,200 eggs, 200 litres of milk and 7kg of mutton."
Dr Md Reajul Huq, director (admin) of the Department of Livestock Services, told TBS that 20 mobile shops across the capital sold 1,200kg of beef, 40kg of mutton, 1,000kg of chicken, 25,000 pieces of egg and 1,500 litres of milk yesterday.
Affluent people also come for low-priced goods
Many affluent people bought products from the government sales trucks as there was no system to restrict the sales among low income people, said shoppers.
Shahidul Patwari, who owns a house in the Green Road area, bought 30 eggs, 1kg of beef, 1kg of chicken. He could not buy mutton as it ran out. He said his wife started urging him to go to the spot market since the daybreak.
"My son is an engineer and he earns well. I had an IT business but quit it for a while. I will visit the USA soon," he said.
On condition of anonymity, a senior official of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) told TBS, "I went for a walk in the morning and saw that eggs were sold at low price at the government shop, so I bought 32 pieces."
Orion Astman, a government official, bought meat from the sales point. Asked why he went there when he had the capacity to buy at it at regular market price, leaving the low priced goods for the small income people, he told TBS, "I did not think in this way. I feel bad now, when you put it like that. I will not come here to shop again."
Regarding the matter, Dr Md Jasim Uddin, AI&ET project director of Department of Livestock Services (DLS), told TBS, "We are not supposed to sell products in this way at all. Still, we did it to show that these products can be sold at a price lower than the market rate. We tried set an example.
"Besides, we wanted to serve the poor and low income people. So, we made half-kg-packets of these goods."
He further said, "One cannot immediately guess a person's actual financial capacity just by looking at him. Besides, even if a millionaire comes to shop here, he will not get more than 1kg of meat, so he would not take the trouble again."
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock will continue selling milk, egg and meat at low prices in the capital till 28th of Ramadan in 20 different areas across the city: Abdul Gani Road adjacent to the Secretariat, Khamarbari Road, Japan Garden City in Mohammadpur, Mirpur 60 feet Road, Azimpur Maternity Hospital, Naya Bazar in Old Dhaka, Arambagh, Notun Bazaar, Kalshi in Mirpur, Khilgaon Railgate, Nakhalpara, Segun Bagicha Kacha Bazar, Bosila of Mohammadpur, Diabari of Uttara, Jatra Bari, Gabtoli, Hazaribagh, Karail slum in Banani, Kamrangirchar and Rampura.
