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India's buffalo meat exports reached Rs 21,316 crore in April-January period of the current financial, Parliament was informed on Monday.
In the entire last financial year, 2015-16, the exports aggregated Rs 26,684 crore with the main export destinations including Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia and Saudia Arabia.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said as per the existing meat export policy, the shipments of beef (meat of cow, oxen and calf) is prohibited.
Bone in meat, carcass, half carcass of buffalo is also prohibited and is not permitted to be exported.
Only the boneless meat of buffalo, meat of goat and sheep and birds is permitted for export.
She said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that the processed meat exports from the country stood at Rs 2.82 crore during April-January period this financial year.
India exported sheep/goat and birds' meat worth Rs 727.16 crore and Rs 22,073.5 crore during the period respectively.
Replying to a separate question, the minister said that India is consistently taking up the issue of tightening norms for skilled foreign workers with the UK at the highest levels.
"The UK government has been urged to not accept the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee in the interest of the bilateral trade in services" between the countries, she added.
