India is exploring to considerably propel beef exports to China after Beijing is set to lift restrictions on the Indian meat products. Indian beef, which is just buffalo meat, is presently banned in China over concerns of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
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According to thePrint, the Modi government cleared a Rs 13,343 crore proposal to fully control foot and mouth disease (FMD) among the country’s livestock. Due to FMD issues, Beijing terminated the imports of Indian beef.
According to Tarun Sridhar, Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will soon be declared free of FMD, after which exports to countries where they are currently restricted can start.
“This is a major programme aimed at fully controlling the diseases among India’s livestock in the next five years. Once we achieve that, our next target will be to eradicate the diseases completely in the subsequent five years,” said Sridhar, “The World Organization of Animal Health, commonly known as OIE (an abbreviation of its French title), will certify it.”
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The project envisions FMD vaccination of over 30 crore bovines and 20 crore sheep and goats, besides 1 crore pigs at six months’ interval, along with primary vaccination for bovine calves.
According to a Reuters report, China is the second-biggest importer of beef. The country is also the third-biggest importer of buffalo meat alone, according to APEDA data for 2017. Currently, Vietnam is India’s biggest market for beef exports.
