Meat shops running out of beef

Meat stalls that sell a variety of other meats like pork, chicken, and fish are not as badly affected
Meat stalls that sell a variety of other meats like pork, chicken, and fish are not as badly affected

Meat vendors are running out of the beef supply in their stores. Beef is as inclusive an item on every household menu, as the staple diet of rice. Some of the shops in the lower market in Thimphu near the Centenary Farmer’s Market were closed on Wednesday due to shortage of beef supply.

The meat shop owners said the problem is mainly due to the increase in the price of the beef from Jaigaon, India.

The price of beef at source, in the Indian border town Jaigaon, is at Nu 150 per kilogram. Such prices are affecting the meat vendors in the local markets as they don’t have a profit margin when the sell the beef in Bhutan. Vendors say, unlike local beef, they can’t charge more.

The local vendors usually sell about 300-400kgs of beef which is apparently not the case these days.  And because they can’t bring the meats from Jaigaon, they have to manage with what they get locally.

However, the meat stalls that sell a variety of other meats like pork, chicken, and fish are not as badly affected as the stalls that sell beef.

Makcha, a meat shop at the Sunday vegetable market is the only meat shop in Thimphu that has the beef stock at the moment. A sizeable crowd of customers wait inside and outside the shop.

There are also beef consumers who are on the lookout for new stock in other meat stalls. Makcha Meat Shop owner said that he had earlier sold around 700-800kgs of beef per day at Nu 120 per kilogram, but these days he sells around 200-300kgs of beef per week due to the costly price of local beef, at Nu.180 per kilogram. He said that the beef supply to his meat shop comes from Tsirang.

The meat shop owners and customers are worried about the scarcity of beef. Some of the customers said that they have visited the meat shop several times, whenever they reach the shop the beef is sold out.

Sangay Dorji, a customer at D.K meat shop said he needs the beef on the menu for his puja (ritual) being held soon. He said he bought other meats like pork and chicken, but need beef.

He said he came to Thimphu, all the way from Jabana, just to buy beef, but has had no luck even on his fourth trip to the city.

The owner of Seven Star Meat shop said his shop has no beef stock. He said not having meat varieties in the shop is affecting his business. Customers go where there are meat varieties, and because of lack of beef, there are no customers visiting his shop.

Many of the meat shops are closed these days due to the lack of beef supply.

 

Damchoe 

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8 comments

  1. the meat shops are selling meat at exorbitant prices and they have no price list on the board when it comes to local produces. last time it was 200/kg and there was no bafra to check that.

  2. Ban the meat and let animal live their life. Why do we the Bhutanese in the land of Bhuddism need meat.

    We won’t die without meat. So abandon meat

  3. As the buddhist country we should totally ban whatever meat it is. We suffer from pains when our hands or feet get pricked by thorns. But so sorry that our innocent animals get killed for meat for us. They have to sacrifice their body for us. How cruel we are. No dragnam and dranthen.

    Our forefathers and mothers used to tell us that there are Rakshasas and Rakshasis in the world. When our human world gets dark their world gets light. When our world gets light their world gets dark. So they cannot come and eat us alive.
    But now we find there is no world of Rakshasas but it is the western world & america which fits with above description. But they are not rakshasas but human beings & only the colour of eyes, hair and skin differ. So our old parents thesis is not correct. However one aspect is coorect -that of killing animals and eating.

    I think, if we think deeply in our mind, we are no other than rakshasas/sis. We have no love, compassion and happiness for animals, birds, insects and even plants. We asians, europeans, africans, russians and americans kill and eat animals, brids, reptiles & insects etc. Sometimes we kill each other and eat humans also. For example our Dasho Shongarpa used to eat human babies, president of Uganda ate humans, some Hindu priests sacrificed children at the altar. Some Indian gondas hijack human and trade with human organs. Today just few days bacl the Rebels in Syria killed and ate the captured Syrian Army. So we are no other than Rakshas.

    So let us develop friendship, sisterhood and bortherhaood amongst us the humans and also let us show mercy for our poor animals who cannot speak but they definately get pains and cries with tears.
    Thanks

    14.5.2576 = 22.6.2013

  4. Palden Drukpa

    One very funny thing in Bhutan is people will say it is bad to kill and animal should be send for so call tsedar but they will eat meat more than anywhere else in the world. ………..They (Bhutanese people) has never seen how animals were treated by those Indian rustles and kill those innocent animal without any false for Bhutanese. It is good that those all meat shops should be closed and Bhutanese people should stop eating meat if they think it is bad to kill. 

  5. these is no as such in the religious text that we need meat n infact meat is not required in any ritual. being a bhutanese its shameful that we consume meat the source of getting the animals for tshethar would be we stop consuming meat 

  6. A very very good news. Bhutan a free slaughters’ house. Make it 1000 times expensive even if imported. Let only our haves group enjoy it hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  7. People do not practise what they preach. Killing animals in sinful. People do not like to kill animals as it is sinful but buy meat and each each and every animal. What is the use of saying om mani padme hung if you eat animals. Demand for meat leads to killing. So those who eat will commit same sin as those who kill and sell. It is surprising to see even those who tell not to kill include meat in their menu. Don’t eat meat so that rupee problem will be solved. Lot of Indian Rupees are required to import meat. We can live without meat.

  8. Looking for boneless beef importer in Bhutan
    We are suppliers from India. A R MEAT SUPPLIERS

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