Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 11
Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The rise in meat prices in Iran is not linked to nomads, Karamali Qandali, Head of Iran’s Nomadic Affairs Organization, told ISNA, Trend reports.
There are still nomadic tribes living in Iran, who do not assimilate with the rest of the country's society. According to the latest statistics, there is approximately 1 million of nomads currently living in Iran. Most of the nomads are engaged in agriculture and cattle-breeding.
According to Qandali, the share of nomads in Iran’s meat production is about 25 percent, and that there have been no problems with nomads taking their animals to the market.
"All the nomads take their animals to the slaughterhouses. Meat is then taken from there to the market," he said.
According to Qandali, the nomads mainly sell their animals a month after the Novruz holiday. In any case, there have been no delays in meat sales by nomads.
"There are no mediators in meat being sold by nomads from slaughterhouses, because they are involved in it firsthand," he said.
Qandali added that if there is a question of mediatorship in the rise of meat prices, then it is necessary to observe everything from the slaughterhouse to the market.
In recent years, meat, especially mutton, has become expensive in Iran. Thus, 1kg mutton is sold at a price of 1 million rials (about $23.8).
Various Iranian officials have come forward with criticism, naming the lack of production, delays in nomads providing animals for sale, and animal smuggling as possible reasons for the rise in meat prices.