Indonesia not suspended Indian buffalo meat imports, confirms Indian Embassy in Jakarta

Indonesia has not suspended import of frozen boneless frozen buffalo meat from India, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said on Friday.

“Some competitors have been spreading all kinds of rumours on the suspension of frozen buffalo meat by Indonesia with the ulterior motive of defaming safe, possibility-free of charge Indian buffalo meat with an intention to effect its exports to other nations.

“In look at of the reality that there is no these types of suspension of imports of frozen boneless buffalo meat from India, this is bogus propaganda of some of India’s competitors as they are threatened by the ever rising achievement of the Indian buffalo meat,” the embassy said in a press launch.

ABC report

Australia Broadcasting Company (ABC) said in a report on Wednesday, quoting Reuters, that the Indonesia logistics company Bulog Main Government Budi Waseso had explained to his Parliament that buffalo meat exports from India had been suspended due to problems above the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company quoted Waseso as reportedly declaring: “due to the lockdown … plus the improvement of the COVID-19 virus in India … we temporarily stopped the (buffalo meat) import approach.”

ABC even more noted that the trade had occur to a overall halt. Even so, it quoted Indonesian livestock advisor Robu Agustiar as declaring that Indonesia had not made the decision to ban Indian buffalo meat imports but could postpone shipments.

Agustiar also reportedly said the suspension of buffalo meat imports from India could last for a few months.

“There is no suspension of our buffalo meat imports,” said Tarun Bajaj, Director of Agricultural and Processed Food items Products and solutions Exports Growth Authority (APEDA), which supervises and encourages agricultural exports.

“There is no concern with Indonesia (on buffalo meat exports). It is our competitors who are spreading rumours,” he said.

“On the opposite, Indonesia is in the system of buying even more buffalo meat imports from India,” said Bajaj, who is in cost of exports of processed meals and animal goods.

ABC noted that Indonesia had specified permission to import 80,000 tonnes of buffalo meat from India and so much, 13,000 tonnes had attained the Significantly-East nation. But Fauzan Alvi, a single of India’s most significant meat exporters and spokesperson for All Indi Meat and Livestock Exporters Assoication said Indonesia has now sourced 25,seven-hundred tonnes of buffalo meat from India considering that February this year and there have been definitely no challenges in provides.

“Indonesia had committed to elevate the quota to two lakh tonnes, but it is but to implement it,” he said.

“Bulog, which procures meat from India, has just placed an enquiry for provide of fifty three,000 tonnes of meat to be delivered in phases up to December. Orders dependent on the enquiry really should be finalised by Indian exporters in two months.There is no suspension of Indian exports to Indonesia and these are just baseless rumours,” said Alavi.

Headway in Indonesian sector

Trade resources said that Indian competitors, specially in the Asia-Pacific region, have been concerned that Indian buffalo meat enjoys a 30 per cent sector share in Indonesia currently.

According to beef2live.com Web page, India ranked fifth in conditions of beef exports, all buffalo meat only, transport one.28 million tonnes and taking pleasure in a twelve per cent share in the worldwide sector.

APEDA details displays that India’s buffalo meat exports recorded a superior of one.forty seven million tonnes for the duration of 2014-15 just before dropping to one.15 million tonnes for the duration of 2019-twenty. Provisional figures for 2020-21 fiscal peg buffalo meat exports at one.08 million tonnes, though the benefit was greater at ₹23,460 crore in comparison with prior fiscal’s ₹22,661 crore.

Exports rebound

As regards buffalo meat exports to Indonesia, shipments till 2015-16 have been beneath 900 tonnes just before collecting momentum and peaking at 94,500 tonnes for the duration of 2018-19. Although the shipments dropped to 73,136 tonnes in 2019-twenty, they had rebounded last year. In the course of April-February last fiscal, India had exported eighty two,347 tonnes.

India has become a supply of a more cost-effective substitute to costly beef from competitors these types of as Brazil and Australia. It is also witnessed as a more cost-effective supply of protein in the Significantly-East country.

Trade resources said that while Indian buffalo meat was accessible at considerably less than $three,500 ( ₹25,500) a tonne, beef from origins these types of as Australia dominated at earlier mentioned $four,500 (₹32,850).

India’s exports of buffalo meat to Indonesia in 2019-twenty have been worth $230 million with exports valued all over the very same level last fiscal. “We can simply treble exports. We have all the resources,” said Alavi.

“We have not reduce into anyone’s sector share in Indonesia. We only produced an further sector with our buffalo meat,” said a trade supply without having wishing to be discovered.