BAKU, Oct. 16 - Milk-fed lamb is selling for 23 to 25 manats per kilogram in Baku, while beef in the capital costs 19 manats per kilogram, according to a television report comparing meat prices in the capital and two regions.
Beef was offered at 17 manats per kilogram in Beylagan and 17.50 manats in Barda, compared with 19 manats in Baku. At those prices, five kilograms would cost 95 manats in Baku, 87.50 manats in Barda and 85 manats in Beylagan - a difference of 7.50 to 10 manats, or roughly 9% to 12%.
Baku sellers attributed the higher retail price to transportation, storage and sales costs. A butcher in Barda said his own daily sales had fallen from about 100 kilograms to 40 kilograms. That 60% decline reflects the experience of the individual shop and should not be read as a market-wide estimate.
Lamb prices also varied by the animal’s age and carcass weight. In the regions, meat from carcasses weighing up to 15 kilograms was offered at about 20 manats per kilogram. Carcasses weighing 20 to 25 kilograms were priced at 19 to 20 manats per kilogram, while one shop offered meat from an older sheep with a carcass weighing more than 40 kilograms for 15 manats per kilogram.
In Baku, meat from lamb carcasses weighing 15 to 17 kilograms was offered at 21 manats per kilogram. Milk-fed lamb, known locally as emlik quzu, commanded the highest reported price, ranging from 23 to 25 manats per kilogram depending on the shop.
Some regional sellers said meat prices had risen regularly in recent months and expected the upward trend to continue, but the report did not provide a formal forecast or a timetable for further increases. At Baku’s reported price, two kilograms of beef would cost 38 manats.
The figures were presented in a Xezer Xeber report. The original video, titled “Bakıda ət niyə baha satılır?” (“Why Is Meat More Expensive in Baku?”), is also available on YouTube.