June 9, 2011

India's meat processing sector needs billion-dollar investment

India's meat and poultry processing industry requires an investment of by around US$1 billion (INR4,000-INR5,000 crore), said the Ministry of Food Processing Industries' (MOFPI) secretary, Ashok Sinha.

"Meat products are a price sensitive commodity and we need to provide good hygienic products for which the consumer would not mind paying a little extra", he said. "Despite strong untapped potential, the sector has not been able to achieve the desired growth due to different marketing mechanisms, no value additions and low investment in processing facilities. The sector needs to be modernised to increase the profits, but immediate requirement is for the establishment of modern slaughter houses". Sinha pointed out.

"India has 3,600 registered slaughter houses and 25,000 unregistered ones, but there are only 5-6 modern slaughter houses," Singh said.

According to Sinha, the biggest investment would be required to develop modern slaughter houses all over the country. "These slaughter houses would not only be used for slaughtering animals but also to process the products and would be able to safely dispose the waste." The government is currently developing 10 modern slaughter houses of which three should almost be complete and would start functioning very soon.

"The ministry will be submitting an elaborate investment plan to modernise the poultry sector in the 12th five-year plan proposals," Sinha concluded.