BENGALURU: With Varsha Todaku on Sunday, the state is getting ready to indulge in meat to celebrate the festival. Mutton and chicken prices in Bengaluru are tentatively expected to start rising from Sunday onwards, but shop owners are unsure by how much. However, they are in agreement that the prices will increase.
According to various butcher shops in Bengaluru, as of Friday, mutton was priced between Rs 700 and Rs 750 a kg, with chicken going for Rs 250 to Rs 300 per kg, depending on whether it is bought skinless or with skin. Prices vary daily, but have shot up in the last month or so, following a rise in production cost on the side of poultry, sheep and goat farmers as well as factors like the on-going Ukraine-Russia war.
With Varsha Todaku around the corner, shopkeepers say that mutton prices may increase to around Rs 800. “We cannot really be sure since price movements are determined by the factors of that specific day. At present, the price is at Rs 720 a kg for mutton and Rs 280 a kg for chicken, and if prices jump, we will only know on Sunday,” said Abdul Khuddus, the proprietor of a mutton shop in Bengaluru.
However, some are under the impression that prices might not increase by much. “We don’t have much information on the increase, but I think it will stay the same, but prices fluctuate often so we can never predict the cost,” said MM Nasir from Popular Mutton Shop.
Earlier, especially during 2020, in the peak of the pandemic, mutton prices hit Rs 1,000 a kg. With Ramzan to follow almost immediately after, prices are expected to rise as demand for meat increases.