June 26, 2014
India eager to increase export potential of buffalo meat
India is set to win a larger share of the world''s meat market, delegates said at the World Meat Congress in Beijing.
Nasser Ghulam Hamid Shaikh, vice president of Allana Group, said that India is the largest bovine producer in the world with huge reserves of buffalomeat and is now exporting to 65 countries.
Allana Group, the largest producer of halal bovine meat in the world, also said that they were keen to export buffalo meat to China.
As cows are considered holy animals and the slaughter of which is banned in most places, India''s beefexports comprise almost entirely water buffalo meat (carabeef).
According to USDA, India is the second largest beef exporter in the world with 20% market share after Brazil. USDA also forecasts that India will export 1.9 million tonnes of beef in 2014, adding that growing demand for the country''s beef will offset the downward revision in production in Europe and Australia.
Richard Brown, director with market analysts Gira, said India offers a low-cost alternative to traditional beef supplies for some markets. "India is poised to emerge as the biggest producer and exporter of bovine meat in the years to come," he said.
With 31% increase in quantity and 52% surge in value during 2013-14, beef has become the second biggest foreign exchange earner for India among the country''s agricultural commodity exports after basmati rice.
According to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), India''s beef exports totaled 14.50 million tonnes and valued at INR26,458 crore (US$4.40 billion) last year. South East Asian and Middle East countries are the major markets for India''s beef.
"The main reasons for increased growth in exports are the emergence of more state-of-the-art abattoirs and price competitiveness of our meat. India''s buffalo meat is cheaper and is bought by Asian countries," said the chairman of Apeda, Santosh Sarangi.