Easter is less than a month away. What will be the price of lamb meat, will there be an increase in price and what is it due to? For the answers to these questions, Iskra.bg asked the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Association (NSGBA).
The increase in the price of lamb compared to last year will be almost insignificant, commented NSGBA Co-Chairman Simeon Karakolev. He specified that if last year lamb was traded between 8 and 10 BGN per kilogram from the farms, this year its value will be between 9 and 12 BGN per kilogram. According to him, the price in stores should not exceed 24-25 BGN per kilogram, adding that the final decision is still up to the merchants.
„In the end, the risk is theirs, because at some point the consumer may not buy the meat and it will stand unsold.“
Compared to last year, the price has been raised by no more than 10%, and the increase is insignificant in the context of increased costs, Karakolev reported, adding:
„Sheep breeders are also aware that the Bulgarian consumer is not that wealthy to buy lamb over BGN 30 kilos.“
Simeon Karakolev explained that fodder had risen in price by about 60% and because of this breeders were forced to increase the value of their production.
Bulgarian meat will predominate on the market, and there is no need to register for it in stores, as a trend has been observed recently.
„The registration concerns the small neighborhood shops, which anyway serve a strictly defined type of clientele. This is not the case in large chains and large stores. (…) There are enough Bulgarian lambs to satisfy consumption.“
When asked how to recognize fresh meat, Karakolev called for looking for the blue seal and for lamb to be of a pleasant pink color.
