CAIRO - Millions of Egyptians approach this year's the holy fasting of Ramadan, which starts on August 1, with a mixture of joy and dissatisfaction about the unexplained rise in meat prices. Many consumers, along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), have launched a campaign urging Egyptians to boycott buying meat, before Ramadan. During Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, which involves vast banquets of food, Muslim families traditionally buy few kilos of red meat for the Iftar, the main meal that is eaten after sunset. The consumers complain that one kilo of veal has jumped from LE54 to LE65 for no apparent reason. A Cairo butcher, who asked not to be identified, said that he sold one kilo of mutton for LE70 and one kilo of beef for LE68. Mohamed el-Asqallani, the chairman of Citizens Against Price Hikes, a Cairo-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) concerned with consumers' rights, has launched a campaign urging Egyptians to boycott buying meat, before Ramadan. El-Asqallani has urged the Egyptians to give-up meat all together and make poultry and fish feature heavily in their diet. "Consumers are earnestly urged to buy more poultry and fish to lower the retail price of red meat ahead of Ramdan," he said. Although the Government imports thousands of tonnes of frozen meat every Ramadan, Egyptian consumers still complain about the price hikes. Imported meats are usually cheaper than domestic products because the Government subsidises the foreign goods and sells them at State-run stores designed for low-income households. "Even if the Government sold imported beef at low prices, the poor people would not be able to buy it," said Khalid Kareem, a street cleaner, who works at the Cairo neighbourhood of Hadayek el-Qubba. One kilo of imported beef is sold for LE28, he complained. Amid the expected low demand for meat before Ramadan, the consumers face a rise in the price of local products. Khalid complained that poor people like him are being priced out of this meat loving country. "High meat prices mean lower purchasing power of consumers. With the same income level, poor consumers are likely to reduce their overall spending, maintain spending on basic food items, and shun luxurious food like meat," says el-Asqallani. Market analysts say the price increases are due to the current political circumstances and inflation rates that remained high since January 25. They blamed high inflation rates for causing more hardship for the people and snatching meat out of the mouths of the poor. "Meat! I only eat meat once every month," he said. Earlier in the month, the Government said that urban consumer inflation in Egypt accelerated in the year to March to an 11-month high, pushed up by soaring food prices that contributed to the mass protests, that eventually toppled president Hosni Mubarak. Urban consumer inflation in Egypt rose to 11.5 per cent in the 12 months to March, its highest level since April 2010, up from 10.7 per cent in February. On a monthly basis, it increased to 1.4 per cent in March from 0.1 per cent in February. Several economists had expected an increase in the rate – the most closely watched indicator of prices – as a result of a weaker pound and imported inflation. Consumers have demanded the Government to increase the nation's supply of meat and chicken in order to keep prices down. "There are no compelling reasons for such a rapid rise in the price of meat," Haj Hassan, a Cairo-based consumer, said, calling on the Government to put pressure on private producers and importers not to increase meat prices. Haj Hassan's voice is one in a growing chorus of despair and frustration over rising prices of meat. However, butchers said the increase in meat prices has multiple causes. These include the surging increase in the prices of animal fodder, leading to rising meat prices, Mohamed el-Arabi, a butcher in the Cairo district of Bab el-Shaariya, said. On Thursday, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf vowed that increasing economic growth will "ease Egypt's problems”.
