The prices of white and red meats have experienced unprecedented increases in recent Days. These products are therefore added to the list of other food products that have experienced exaggerated price increases, such as fruits and vegetables, subsidized bread, flour, pulses, etc.
During these last days, and in parallel with the social re-entry, Algerians have found themselves facing exaggerated and unjustified increases in the prices of food products, even those subsidized. White and red meats were not spared.
At the level of the capital, a simple tour of the butcher shops shows these increases. Thus, the price of a kilogram of mutton is offered up to 2000 DA, while beef is around 1700 DA per kilogram. As for white meat, the kilogram of chicken is now sold between 400 and 480 DA.
With a few differences, these prices are charged in almost all regions of the country, sometimes much more. For chicken, reports from several localities across the national territory indicate prices of up to 500 DA per KG. Chicken offal, previously offered at 200 DA, is currently sold at 470 DA per kilogram.
A priori, these increases have spared no product. A tray of eggs sold a few Days ago at only 280 DA has already reached 400 DA. While the unit of this product was sold at 10 DA, it is now offered at 14.5, or even at 15 DA per egg. The same goes for the turkey cutlet which is around 850 DA whereas it was sold at 600 DA before.
Reasons for price increases: Divergences around the opinions of specialists
asked about this, the president of the federation of red and white meats, Bilal Djemâa did not find an explanation. In a declaration to Echorouk, he affirms: “we find ourselves embarrassed to justify each time the phenomenon of the periodic rise, in particular of the prices of white meat”.
“It is unacceptable that the price of a kilogram of chicken, which was within the reach of middle-income families, reaches 480 DA”, he added. According to him, what is currently happening in the market requires “political intervention, because we have exhausted all means to deal with this, but we find ourselves each time surprised by unjustified increases”.
For their part, chicken farmers are responsible for these increases in the latest forest fires which affected several localities in the country while also destroying several breeding premises. This led, according to them, to the destruction of several properties housing chicks and chickens ready to be marketed.
In addition, the secretary-general (SG) Of the general union of Algerian traders and craftsmen (Ugcaa), Hazab Benchahra believes that the recent rise in prices was “dee to parallel trade which represents a safe outcome for speculators and monopolists in order to sell their goods and impose their law.”
