India's beef exports rise 31% in 2013-14.

KOCHI: Beef has become an important foreign exchange earner for India among the agriculture commodity exports after basmati rice, with 31% increase in quantity and 52% rise in value terms during 2013-14. India was ranked second largest beef exporter in the world with 20% market share after Brazil by the department of agriculture of the United States (USDA) in its recent report.

Curiously, India's beef exports comprise almost entirely water buffalo meat (carabeef) as cow slaughter is banned in most places. As per the figures of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), the beef exports totaled 14,49,759 tonne worth Rs 26,458 crore last year. The country exports mostly to South East Asian and Middle East countries. In the previous year, the growth in quantity and value was 12% and 27% respectively.

"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," says Apeda chairman Santosh Sarangi. Unlike India, the western countries export both cow and buffalo meat. Perhaps because of the taste difference, the US and the Europe hardly buys Indian beef. Huge markets like China and Russia have not opened their market to Indian beef. "Bovine meat import is included in the trade agreement signed between India and China.

They sought some technical clarifications which we have provided," Santhosh Sarangi adds. With the opening up of Chinese market, beef export from India could see a big jump. The fact that India has a huge buffalo herd population and supplies halal meat has worked to its advantage. "Most of the major brands like Al Kabeer buy our products," says Mir Ali of Quereshi International, based in Hyderabad. Vietnam is the largest buyer of Indian buffalo meat, followed by Malaysia, Egypt, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

However, the exporters declined to comment when asked whether they expect any change in the policies regarding export of buffalo meat from the new government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had criticised the previous government for the rising meat export and cow slaughter, which he referred as pink revolution, during his election campaign.

USDA has projected India's beef shipments to touch 1.9 million tonne in 2014. It states that a more favourable demand outlook for a wide range of countries will stimulate greater shipments from Brazil and India, which will offset the downward revision in production in Europe and Australia.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com