It is always a matter of contention between a seller and a buyer; one wants to sell it at a higher rate, and the other wants to buy at a lower price. Finally, the market dynamic decided who has to pay what, and who earns how much. This is the rudimentary market mathematics. But in an organised state there is always a third eye that keeps a vigil on the market forces, and that is the government. The intervention form the side of the government is always thought to be from the side of the people, and that is the buyer. If the government wants to help the business it is by way of throwing in some money from its side in the shape Minimum Support Price or some other promotion scheme. The final aim of the government is to promote business while at the same time give protection to the common people as the buyers. But the government intervention is always driven by some rules, and guided by policies that are based on real time data. That is how government keeps the element of exploitation off the markets.
But when there is any knee jerk response, or inconsistent application of its authority, some serious question arise against the policies of the government, particularly against the departments that are involved in the specific case. Now here is the case in point. From last some time there is almost no meat available in the markets. The meat sellers refuse to sell it because they think the government wants them to sell it at a price that defeats the very mathematics of the trade. As the two sides reach no agreement the people are at the receiving end. There is dearth of the product in the market, but the reports suggest that some meat dealers sell it away from the market gaze, at the already existing rates. The point here is that had the government been consistent in this regard, the issue would have been resolved long back; in fact the contest over the rates would not have risen. The knee jerk approach, and allowing the things to first go too far, is where the concerned officials err. Had there been a functional policy, and a timely execution of it, no such problems would arise.