India’s carabeef buffalo meat exports estimated to grow 13% in 2014

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Vietnam is the main buyer of carabeef from India. India’s carabeef exports to Vietnam recorded a 60% Y-o-Y growth in FY2013-14

  India’s carabeef (water buffalo meat) exports are expected to grow steadily in 2014 and 2015, helped by increasing demand in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa, according to a USDA report.   India is the world’s largest producer of carabeef and accounts for around 43% of global carabeef production. According to the USDA Post in New Delhi, carabeef meat production in India is expected to grow to 4.1 and 4.3 million tonnes Carcass-Weight Equivalent (CWE) in 2014 and 2015 respectively, up from 3.8 million tonnes in 2013. India exports around 50% of carabeef produced in the country, and exports are growing due to a growing preference for Indian carabeef in both existing and new markets for India. Vietnam is by far the largest importer of carabeef from India, accounting for around 41% of total carabeef exports from India. According to India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), carabeef exports to Vietnam have increased significantly in the recent reaching around 524,173 tonnes in FY2013-14, which almost 60% above the previous year’s levels.

Source - APEDA

  The USDA Post says that countries in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia are increasingly sourcing carabeef meat from India due to its lower price and because it is halal. According to the agency, India’s carabeef exports in 2013 stood at around 1.76 million tonnes CWE, and is expected to grow around 13% to about 2 million tonnes in 2014 and then again by around 10% to about 2.2 million tonnes in 2015. India’s carabeef production is likely to grow steadily in the next decade due to government’s focus to improve the dairy sector and increasing private sector participation. This is expected to help exports grow as well, says the USDA Post.  

This article was published on September 18, 2014.