Farmers promise to keep sheep prices low by Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice

Demand for mutton has sharply risen on the eve of Eid al-Adha-2012 in Kazakhstan. Mojazarplata.kz compared sheep prices in countries that celebrate the holiday.

This year, Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, falls on next Friday, October 26. The main ceremony of the festival is the slaughter of a sacrificial animal.

Normally, during the feast days in cities a two-year-old sheep costs 28,000-35,000 tenge. For a six-month lamb you have to pay 20,000-25,000 tenge.

It is expected that by the start of Eid al-Adha, farmers would keep prices low and prevent speculation in the markets. At the moment, one may buy a sheep for a lower price than on holiday: for 13,000-17,000 tenge for a lamb and 21,000-25,000 tenge for a mature sheep.

While Feast of the Sacrifice-2012 is celebrated on a large scale in Kazakhstan, in Russia people have to save money: they pay from 623 tenge per kilo of live sheep. In average, in Moscow, a mature sheep costs 32,000 tenge and on holidays it usually costs 25% more.

In Tashkent (Uzbekistan), a fat sheep normally costs 27,000 tenge. In Kyrgyzstan, people will spend in average 22,000 tenge for a sheep.

In Turkey, an elite export sheep costs 73,000 tenge. The price of one for domestic market makes 36,500 tenge. Given this, a three month lamb is sold for 2,800 tenge at retail.

WKT