KOZHIKODE: Kerala’s love for beef will soon become a thing of the past with the cattle brought from states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is blocked at various check posts by Hindutva activists.
Wholesalers in Kozhikode market say loads of cattle were forcefully opened, mainly in Coimbatore, by activists citing the ban in Maharashtra. The vendors here lose lakhs of rupees due to this.
Since the arrivals drastically cut, the prices of beef have gone through the roof within a span of just a month.
The price of a kilogram of beef has now touched Rs 300, a sharp rise from Rs 180 to Rs 200 a month ago.
The crisis has forced the beef vendors in the state to call an indefinite strike from Tuesday against the blockade.
“It is now the second time that my cattle loads are blocked and seized by a few people at the Coimbatore checkpoint under the names of the Animal Husbandry Board and Animal Protection Forum,” P. Haneefa, a beef wholesaler at Vellayil, told DC.
“A few activists frequently block them, resulting in huge losses. Since 80 per cent of non-vegetarians in Kerala eat beef, the demand goes up day by day, which we are struggling to meet”.
Garlic Routes chief chef Shaji said his hotel had stopped serving beef dishes.
“Beef has a central role in some of our popular combo dishes. But we cut a sorry figure,” he said.
Similarly, the city’s Rahmath Hotel, famous for its beef Biriyani for years, buy the meat from local vendors who charge much higher. It could not serve beef for many days.
