Export of animal products from India: Trends, performance and constraints

Animal Products play an important role in the socio-economic life of India. It is a rich source of protein such as milk, meat and eggs. India has emerged as the largest producer of milk with 21.32 per cent share in total milk production in the world. India accounts for about 5.65 per cent of the global egg production and also the largest population of milch animals in the world, with 191 million cattle, 109 million buffaloes, 135 million goats and 65 million sheep. The paper is based on the secondary data. Exports of animal products represent an important and significant contributions to the Indian Agriculture sector. During 2018–19, India's export of Animal Products was Rs.30632.81 crore which include the major products like Buffalo Meat, Sheep/Goat Meat, Poultry Products, Dairy Products, Animal Casings, Processed Meat, Albumin (Eggs & Milk), Natural Honey, etc. The demand for Indian buffalo meat in international market has sparked a sudden increase in the meat exports which dominated the exports with a contribution of over 89 per cent in total Animal Products export from India. Share of export of Animal Products in total agricultural exports was 23.49 per cent during 2018–19. Growth in demand for meat in India's export markets, largely in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, has been strong relative to that in developed-country markets and is expected to remain so over the next decade. India may benefit from the opening of important new markets, particularly Russia and China. Export of animal products can be enhanced by taking on production process to stringent food safety and quality standards. Growing awareness among consumers about the importance of food safety, emergence of disease by consuming unsafe food, and increasing paying capacity of consumers in both domestic and international market could further tackle this issue. Further, the cost of compliance, investment required, handling, processing and traceability of the products are some of the points that need to be emphasized to enhance animal exports. The arduous efforts made by the government by prioritizing the livestock sector to achieve the anticipated growth in agri-sector have certainly enhanced the country's exports of various livestock products to newer heights