Dhaka meat traders say planned Indian beef import will hurt business

Meat traders in Dhaka have protested against a move by importers to bring frozen beef from India, saying it will hurt their business.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 18 August 2017, 03:41 PM
Updated : 18 August 2017, 03:41 PM

Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Traders’ Association has warned the authorities of 'dire consequences' if the importers are given the opportunity to bring in beef.

The association organised a news conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Friday where they also demanded measures to safeguard local cattle traders’ interests.

They alleged cows are being brought from India ‘in huge numbers’ ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.

“Some greedy traders are trying to export beef from India and bringing cows from there," the association’s Acting General Secretary Rabiul Alam said at the conference.

“Price of beef from India would be low for some days. But it will go up again like the onion. The key will be in their (importers’) hands,” Rabiul said.

Slaughtering cows and selling beef are banned in most states of Hindu-majority India.

But according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the country is the second-largest exporter of beef. Its average annual earnings from beef are $4 billion. 

Though there is no legal way to import cows from India, a large number of the cattle sold in Bangladesh come from that country.

The move to import beef from India was first reported during a business conference of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (IBCCI), and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The Daily Janakantha reported that the cost of bringing one kilogram of beef from India will be around Tk 250.

It would be possible to sell the imported beef at Tk 300 per kg in the retail market, where no beef is available under Tk 500 a kg.  

Madhuparna Bhowmik, the head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s agro and food processing department, said at the conference that Bangladesh cannot import cows from India, but there was no bar on importing frozen beef.

As India earns billions of dollars by selling beef to Middle-Eastern countries, Bangladesh can be another large market, she said.

The Janakantha quoted Dewan Sultan Ahmed, a vice-president of IBCCI, as saying, “Out of 170 million people, 160 million eat beef. So frozen beef will  be imported from India to meet the demand for meat.”

But Dhaka Meat Traders’ Association leader Rabiul told bdnews24.com on Friday that it would be possible to supply beef at Tk 200-250 per kg if the local cattle industry gets proper attention.

“We have news that some traders of the two countries discussed the import of meat. But the local farmers will face losses. There will be a negative impact on the leather industry. The government will lose a large sum of money from as the export of animal waste will take a hit,” he said.

Speaking to bdnews24.com about importing beef from India, IBCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said the chamber has no stance on the issue.

“It depends on the businesses. If there is no demand or acceptability in the market, then the businesses will not be able to make a profit by importing that product,” he said.

Taskeen also said he was not aware of any legal obstacle to importing beef from India.