Egypt halts import of Indian meat over safety concern

India's meat shipment to Egypt has been hampered by fears over presence of any disease in the export consignments.

An Indian delegation from the Agriculture Produce and Export Development Authority (Apeda) visited the Egyptian agriculture and health department on Wednesday (Apr 7) to discuss quarantine and safety issues. "There have been reports in the Egyptian media questioning the safety of frozen meat imported from India, but we stand by our product quality," said Apeda.

India, which accounts for nearly 13% of the world's cattle population, rears most of its livestock on green pastures without stall feeding. The cattle are also not fed on meat and bone meal, which makes them virtually resistant to any major animal disease, Apeda reported.

In the last few years, the demand for bovine meat in international market has sparked a sudden increase in exports from India. In 2006-07, meat and meat products exports from India totalled INR3,279 crore (US$0.73 billion), which rose to INR5,333 crore (US$1.2 billion) in 2008-09.

The country has overtaken Brazil as the major exporter for frozen meat in Egypt during recent years. Vietnam, Malaysia and Egypt, are the three top export destinations for India's frozen meat products, followed by the Middle East.

India's exports of meat and meat products are estimated to exceed INR6,000 crore (US$1.34 billion) in 2009-10, according to Apeda.