With beef prices going wild, Egyptians are feeling the pinch as the final countdown for Eid el-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) has begun. Imports of livestock are on the rise in preparation for the feast, due on Friday. Despite official statements that lamb and beef prices have fallen, traders and consumers say the prices have jumped by an average of 30 per cent. Meat prices rise in general weeks before Eid el-Adha, which is a hot season for beef and lamb supplies every year. "There aren't enough cattle and sheep this year. Traders bought them up all up at least two months ago and raised the prices," Hajj Abdel-Salam Mansi, a cattle breeder in the Delta Governorate of el-Gharbiya, told the Egyptian Mail. Hajj Mansy also cited rising price of fodder as another reason for higher costs. According to him, fodder has jumped to LE4,400 per tonne from LE3,500 per tonne a year ago. While local customers blame butchers for skyrocketing beef prices, which have hit up to LE95 ($16) for a kilogramme of tenderloin in upmarket districts, butchers pass the buck to breeders and farm owners. Chateaubriand and Filet Mignon lovers and other meat 'addicts' in this country are now feeling the squeeze. "This is wrong. But I cannot blame butcheries for the price hikes as they have to pay the traders so much. A kilo of beef sells for an average of LE70. Luxury cuts of meat sell for at least LE90 per kilo," Hajj Mansy said, blaming the traders for this "messy situation". The most populous Arab country of 90 million people produces 500,000 tonnes of baladi (locally bred beef) meat annually, accounting for 45 per cent of consumption, according to the Cairo Chamber of Commerce. To bridge the gap, roughly around 300,000 tonnes of meat are imported annually, according to official figures. Hussein el-Khouly, a Qaliubia-based trader, blames the breeders, who have doubled their prices due to rising fodder costs. "I now have to pay LE13,000 for a calf weighing 600kg and I resell it to the butchers for LE14,000. The Government has failed to control the market. It's not my problem," says el-Khouly, adding that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) earlier this year has affected the market. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said Egyptian beef production was poised to fall in 2012 due to FMD. In March, the number of suspected cases grew at a rate of 5,000 per day and the number of deaths was around 500 head per day, according to official reports. Lamb and camel prices have also jumped by 20 per cent. "Lamb averages LE60 per kilogramme. Camel averages LE40-LE50 per kilo," el-Khouly explains. Inflation in Egypt eased to 6.2 per cent in September from 6.4 per cent a month earlier on an annual basis, according to the Central Agency fort Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). Inflation reached a record high of 23.6 per cent in August 2008. But the man in the street complains of price hikes, as was the case before the toppling off Hosni Mubarak in 2011. "Only the wealthy can afford the udhiya [sacrifice] this year. Nothing has changed since the January 25 Revolution. Prices keep going up and the Government doesn't listen to the people. What's new?" wonders Yasser Ragab, a 30-year-old taxi driver. "I can afford to buy beef, thank God. But many others are facing financial hardship. An employee with a wife and two children and earning LE600 per month finds it very difficult to buy 3kg of beef for LE210 to feed them," he adds. Moreover, the gap in supply keeps on widening as the population keeps on growing. In the late 1970s, Egyptians took to the streets when the price of meat rose from LE0.68 to LE1 per kilo. Global beef production is expected to total 57 million tonnes in 2012, slightly up on last year, but still below the rolling five year average of 57,314 million tonnes, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Russia is on track to keep its position as the world's top importer of beef and veal, with imports forecast to total 1.14 million tonnes by the end of 2012. Russia is followed by the US (1.11 million tonnes); Japan (756,000 tonnes); Vietnam (400,000 tonnes), South Korea (390,000 tonnes); the EU (360,000 tonnes); Mexico (300,000 tonnes); Canada (280,000 tonnes), Egypt (230,000 tonnes) and Malaysia (190,000 tonnes). The US is the world's largest producer of beef and veal, with production expected to total 11.4 million tonnes this year, according to the Rome-based organisation.
