Leaders of the Small Meat Processing and Sellers Society alleged that corporate pressure, past government failures and corrupt officials have pushed retail meat prices higher for small vendors. President Md Abdul Halim Quraishi (Chan) and General Secretary Md Bhutto said meat that could be sold for Tk400 per kilogram is now being sold by small traders for Tk800 to Tk900 per kilogram.

In a statement, the leaders said wealthy corporate companies and corporate farm operators were using multiple strategies against small meat sellers. They alleged that dishonest businesses seek to halt small-scale meat sales and shift the trade entirely toward packaged products controlled by departmental stores, leaving ordinary consumers dependent on those outlets.

The group also claimed that shortages of cattle and buffalo had made horse meat readily available and alleged that official statistics during the previous government had misrepresented livestock availability. It protested what it described as misleading and one-sided media reports, and said comments by Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam showed reluctance to clearly disclose the truth.