THE price of meat has increased from 9,000/- to 13,000/- per kilogram, making it unaffordable for many citizens in Dar es Salaam Region.

Speaking at different times, locals who came to buy meat for the Eid holiday said the price change had been very sudden.

“We just finished the Ramadhan fasting, where food prices went up significantly, and now, as we celebrate, we face another sudden increase in meat prices, which is really hurting us,” one resident said.

The reporter visited areas  including Tegeta, Kiluvya Madukani, Kinondoni, and Tabata, where the price of meat was high compared to just two days ago.

A businessperson at Tegeta said there was a time when meat prices dropped to 8,000/- per kilogram, but now it had risen to between 12,000 and 13,000/- per kilogram.

He explained that sometimes traders increase the prices of items like beans, peas, lentils, and rice, believing that during Ramadhan and Lent, people need the goods more.

Another businessperson, Lister Meshack, said he sells one kilogram of meat for 10,000/-, but others sell it for 12,000 to 13,000/-, depending on how they purchased the meat at wholesale price.

Elisha Mgawa, a meat vendor, said the price increase depends on how he purchased the meat at wholesale price. He added that in Pugu slaughter houses, the price had gone up, and sometimes they go to buy meat from Bagamoyo.

"We are the ones suffering, the citizens. We urge the government to monitor the prices of goods, especially during Ramadhan and Lent. The ones suffering are the citizens," said Neema Jonson. 

Rose Mgani also pointed out that many food prices have increased, indicating that the government has no control over prices, and as a result, citizens are being exploited by traders.