The country's meat exports are expected to grow by 5 per cent to about Rs 18,270 crore in the current financial year, ending March 31, mainly on strong demand, Food Processing Secretary Siraj Hussain said today.
"Meat export is booming. We exported Rs 17,400 crore worth of meat last fiscal. This year, we expect exports to grow by 5 per cent as there is good demand," Hussain told PTI on the sidelines of a seminar jointly organised by CII alongwith National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management.
India exports unprocessed meat, mostly buffalo meat. "The quality of meat has improved over a period as our export-oriented abattoirs are much better now," he said.
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However, the export realisation per tonne at present is much lower. If safety standards are further improved, India can fetch good price in the global market, he added.
Highlighting export opportunities, Hussain said exports could grow several times with the opening of Chinese market.
"In fact, the agreement has already been signed with China but protocols are not yet be finalised. If the Chinese market opens, our meat exports can be several times higher," he said.
China is a big market for Indian meat. Currently, one third of the total buffalo meat is exported to Vietnam. "There is a possibility that our meat goes to China from Vietnam. So, we export directly to China, it is better," Hussain said.
Besides buffalo meat, there is a growing demand for Indian chicken. "McDonald Pakistan wants to import chicken from India. This can happen, when the trade between two countries stabilises," he said.
On providing safe food to consumers, he said: "India is a vast country with a huge population. People still eat at places that are unhygienic. The challenge before us is to address this situation."
Lack of infrastructure facilities to maintain quality systems, especially in unorganised sector, is the major hurdle in the way of achieving desired standards of food safety in the country, he added.
