Qatar consumes one-third of annual mutton in Ramadan
During Ramadan, Qatar consumes about one-third of the total amount of mutton it consumes in a whole year.
According to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics data, live sheep which arrived at Doha Port in June- July weighed 28,780 tonnes, about 28 percent of the sheep landed in 2013.
Last year, Ramadan was observed from July 8 to August 7 and imported sheep weighed 104,225 tonnes.
“Usually consumption of mutton doubles in Qatar during Ramadan compared to other months. A month or two before Ramadan, importers place large orders for sheep because they know that demand will jump during the holy month,” said Dr Hamad Saad Al Saad, Adviser to the Chairman of Hassad Food Company.
One of the main reasons for jump in mutton consumption is historical. Experts say people in Qatar used to eat mutton during Ramadan because it was scarce.
“In older times, mutton was scarce and costly. People consumed mutton to express happiness. Though mutton is neither scarce nor costly in Qatar now, people consume it during Ramadan to follow the tradition,” Al Saad added.
Another reason for increased consumption of mutton is the pricing. Prices of some varieties of sheep come down during Ramadan which increase mutton consumption.
Sheep are sourced from Australia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan while chilled mutton is imported from all over the world.
Of the four ports, sheep are imported only through Doha Port. According to the data, sheep weighing 17,303 tonnes arrived at Doha Port in June and 11,477 tonnes in July.
