Head of Livestock Supply Council: Despite falling live livestock prices, meat prices are being manipulated, with each seller setting their own price; buffalo meat added to the country's meat supply

The head of the National Livestock Supply Council said: Despite the decline in live livestock prices, the meat market tells a different story. Meat prices are being manipulated, or in other words, artificially set, with each seller pricing and selling at will, far from the reasonable and actual market price.

ILNA: The head of the country's livestock supply council said: despite the decrease in the price of live livestock, you see another reality in the meat market; The price of manipulated meat or, in other words, price-fixing; So that everyone sells at the price they want and sets the price as they want, which actually differs from the reasonable and real market price.

Mansoor Pourian, head of the country's livestock supply council, in response to the question, "What has changed in the price of meat in recent years?" He said: Despite the war and challenges in the entry of meat and raw livestock products into the country in the first six months of this year, domestically produced red meat was able to meet the needs of the people, and we even witnessed a price stability in live livestock, both light and heavy, in the first six months of this year.

Referring to the decrease in meat consumption in the summer season, the head of the country's Livestock Supply Council said: "The demand for meat in the first six months of the year has always been lower than in the second six months of the year, but we have seen that in the first six months of the year, the amount of supply and the number of meat exported were very good figures."

Pourian added: In the second six months of the year, due to the increased production level, the livestock population was in the range of 68 million heads with the highest level of productive livestock, and very good births have been formed in the southwest and west and even in the central plateau.

Referring to the use of meat from different breeds of heavy livestock in the country, the head of the country's Livestock Supply Council said: Heavy livestock, including Holstein and Simmental cows, crossbred calves and local calves, have a good population, and buffalo has been added to this population, which has been added to the country's meat consumption basket, and thus, the number and quantity of meat and its abundance have increased.

Referring to the monthly need of 60,000 tons of red meat, the head of the country's Livestock Supply Council said: The total market need for red meat, including frozen stored meat, which is 15-20%, is about 60,000 tons per month.

Pourian added: Due to the changes in import principles and the high cost of importing meat into the country, the price of imported meat has increased, and for this reason, imported meat has lost its ability to compete with domestic production, and domestic meat has gradually replaced imported meat.

The head of the country's livestock supply council, referring to the decrease in the price of live livestock in October, said: We always had an increase in prices in the livestock sector in October, but this year, at the beginning of the fourth week of October, we have seen a relative decrease in the price of live livestock.

Pourian continued: For example, the price of each kilogram of light livestock, i.e. slaughter male lamb, is between 690 and 705 thousand tomans, which shows a decrease of 15 thousand tomans. Also, the price per kilogram of Simmental calf over 400 kg is in the range of 650 to 720 thousand Tomans and Holstein calf is in the range of 500 to 560 thousand Tomans. Also, each kilogram of buffalo is in the range of 570 to 650 thousand Tomans.

He continued: "In the current situation, we are witnessing a large variety of slaughter breeds in the discussion of light livestock, sheep, rams, goats, and goats, whose price per kilogram is in the range of 420 to 520 thousand tomans.

The head of the country's livestock supply council answered the question, "Why is it that despite the decrease in the price of live animals, the price of red meat does not decrease in the market?" He said: The conditions I explained do not exist in the market, and you see another reality in the market; The price of manipulated meat or, in other words, price-fixing; So that everyone sells at the price they want and sets the price as they want, which actually differs from the reasonable and real market price.

Pourian noted: the price of meat will reach a reasonable price in the coming months.