‘Exports driving meat prices out of Pakistani people’s reach’

ISLAMABAD - Meat, already out of the reach of the poor in Pakistan, will soon become too costly for most of the people unless the government steps in to ban exports being done in violation of the rules, an editorial in a Pakistani paper said Thursday.

“The government should first endeavour to fulfil the needs of the domestic consumers and only after their requirement is met, should exports be allowed,” urged the editorial in the Daily Jang.

It cited the Meat Merchants Association, which attributed the steadily rising prices of meat to the large-scale exports as well as smuggling of meat and cattle to Afghanistan, Iran and other countries, with most of the conditions on which the government had allowed export of meat and cattle being flouted by the exporters.

“One key condition was that the exporters could only export cattle they reared themselves and 60 percent of the meat of the cattle slaughtered in their abbatoirs was to be sent to the domestic market. Neither are the exporters following the rule nor are the departments concerned enforcing it with any seriousness,” the editorial said, adding that this resulted in both “chotta aur bada gosht (mutton and beef)” being out of the purchasing power of the common man.

“And given the rapidly rising prices of meat, it will soon be unaffordable for most sections of the people,” the editorial warned.

It said giving “primacy to the interests of the exporters and trading classes over the interests of the common people will result in the same conditions as that happened over the export of wheat”.

“Under garb of increased productivity, the bulk of the wheat crop was exported, leading to major shortages across the country,” the editorial said, cautioning the country to ensure that the same did not happen with meat.