For the first time in years, Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, a civil servant, has decided neither to buy a sheep to slaughter nor even fresh meat ahead of Eid Al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, this year due to the spiralling increases in prices. The feast, in which millions of Muslims worldwide slaughter sheep or cows to commemorate the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to slaughter his son Ismail in submission to God's will before Ismail was replaced by a sheep, falls this year on 1 September. But Abdel-Rahman is not alone in not celebrating the feast with meat this year, as many Egyptian families have been abandoning this non-obligatory Islamic tradition this year as high commodity prices have changed some expenses into unaffordable luxuries. Inflation has leapt up since the floatation of the pound last November to hit some 30 per cent over the last three months, its highest level since 1986. The decline in the pound's value against the dollar by almost 50 per cent has translated into increases in the prices of goods and services and especially in imported commodities including meat, livestock and fodder. With nine million heads of cattle, Egypt is self-sufficient by only 25 per cent in its meat consumption, and the balance is covered by imports. The hike in the cost of raising and importing livestock is being passed onto customers, with the prices of cattle jumping in July by an average of 60 per cent compared to last year, according to figures from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). According to current prices, a kg of live lamb is priced at LE65, compared to LE35 in the same period in 2016. Live Goat's meat is LE70 per kg compared to LE55, and live beef is LE60 per kg compared to LE52 last year. A kg of camel meat has reached LE120 compared to LE90. Fresh meat prices at butcher markets have also gone up since last season, with a kg of beef ranging from LE150 to LE180 according to the neighbourhood and the cut of meat. The price is even higher for veal, with prices ranging from LE180 to LE200 per kg. Butchers expect the prices of all kinds of meat to exceed LE200 per kg in the few days preceding the feast. “Because of the rise in prices, meat sales have declined by 50 per cent compared to the same period last year, and the heads of cattle sold have fallen by more than 70 per cent,” said head of the Butchers Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce Mohamed Wahba. Wahba stressed that 30 per cent of heads of cattle sales were for retail customers who had decided to buy on a co-payment system, as it is permissible that seven Muslims can take shares in one cow, buffalo or camel. Meanwhile, some have opted for the “sacrifice vouchers” offered by some charity organisations nationwide to help them keep the feast. These charities are authorised to buy, slaughter and distribute sacrificed meat to thousands of needy people included in their database. “It is a way of organising charitable work and reaching those who are in need and can't be reached by regular donors,” the website of the Egyptian Food Bank, a leading charity organisation, says. Buying vouchers saves the hassle of buying a sheep, finding a butcher, and distributing the meat, Ahmed Abdel-Razek, an interior designer from Heliopolis, commented. The sacrifice vouchers provided by the Egyptian Food Bank are for LE2,650. This represents the value of 1/7 of a buffalo or one locally raised sheep. The price is LE1,850 for an imported animal. The price compares to LE5,000 for a live sheep and almost LE4,500 for a share in a cow. While many charities have used to give donors up to 10 kg of meat as part of the sacrifice, starting last year they stopped doing so because of costs, aiming instead to reach more poorer people. As the feast nears, Armed Forces outlets are offering meat at considerably lower prices, with fresh veal and beef selling at LE75 per kg, and frozen meat at LE39 per kg. Lamb is LE75 per kg, Sudanese lamb LE55 per kg, and frozen lamb ranges between LE43 and LE52 per kg. The Ministry of Supply is also offering imported Sudanese meat at LE80 per kg and Brazilian meat at LE70 per kg. Head of the Meat Importers Association Alaa Radwan told Al-Ahram Weekly that the government had lifted the ceiling on cheaper imported meat in an attempt to fill the gap due to the shortage of fresh meat and the increase in prices. “Imports of fresh and frozen meat now reach 350,000 tons annually,” Radwan said. (read more)
