Thanks to Dasara and Bakrid festivals which are lined up this month, Mutton traders across the city are all smiles, as they expect huge demand and big moolah during the period.
The prices of sheep and goat usually rise during these festivals because of high consumption of mutton. To meet the demand, cattle traders from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and other states bring goats and sheep to sell in the city markets.
As the festivals are coming in quick succession, traders foresee an increase in the prices of sheep and costs between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 6,000 for sheep weighing about 10 kilograms.
“We cannot rule out an increase by about Rs. 3,000 even. It all depends on the demand and supply, but certainly there will be an increase owing to the seasonal demand,” says S. Mahesh, a commission agent at the Ziyaguda sheep market.
The markets are getting regular supplies from Andhra Pradesh too, irrespective of the bifurcation of the State, says Ahmed Qureshi, a mutton shop owner.
Even as traders looking forward to better business in the coming days, customers quite the opposite are adopting a wait and watch policy. “For the last few years, the prices are high prior to Eid but the next day it is dropping significantly,” an Old City resident says.