In anticipation of Easter knocking at the door, Romanians are calculating how much the Easter meal will cost them. First of all, lamb meat is the most sought after food these days. The price is, however, steep.
The price of lamb has exploded. Where can the lowest price be found
There are customers who say they reserved their lambs a month in advance. In the markets, prices vary considerably from one county to another. Târgu Mureș, Baia Mare and Craiova are among the places where you can find the most affordable lamb, sold for 40 lei per kilogram. In contrast, in Sibiu, the price rises to 55 lei.
In a market, a housewife complains that “the lambs are quite big and the meat is not so tender anymore”.
In Constanța and Arad, a kilogram of lamb is sold for 60 lei, and in some markets in Bucharest the price can reach up to 65 lei.
Another lady states that she will buy as little as possible to cope with tradition:
“Last year it was a maximum of 35 and this year they are alive with 20 or so lei more.”
Prices depend on the county
An animal breeder from Mărginimea Sibiului, Neagoe Toader, explained where the addition that appears from the barn to the market comes from.
“A kilogram of lamb will cost 55 lei. From the farm gate it leaves for 50 lei, which comes to the farm” says Neagoe Toader.
The sellers in the markets of Sibiu therefore earn 5 lei per kilogram. For a small lamb of 10 kilograms, their profit is – therefore – 50 lei.
Farmers who export lambs to Arab countries also play a role in setting the price.
Because this year we sent a lot there – but also to Western Europe – the supply in the country has reduced and those who now have lambs for the domestic market are taking advantage.
“We are thinking about all pockets, there is the possibility to buy half, there is the possibility to buy a quarter” says the farmer Flori Mânzat.
