Although, traders say the price of beef could be even cheaper if they were not charged excessive tolls at the city’s only permanent cattle market in Gabtoli, the DNCC Estate Department—the market lessor and custodian—blamed traders for the price hike. However, people who are not meat sellers are charged 3.5% of the price of a cow or buffalo as a toll by the lessee. He added that meat traders wanted the DNCC to intervene and get rid of this high toll. Contacted, DNCC Chief Estate Officer, Md Aminul Islam, said they had neither received any complaints of extortion from cattle traders, nor of excessive tolls from meat traders. “The meat traders are accusing me in their own self interest.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 19, 2019 18:45 UTC