Meat is an important food product obtained from animals and birds. It includes all those parts of the animal’s body (also birds) which are edible. Meat is a good source of animal protein, essential amino acids and minerals which are vital for the normal growth of our body. Nowadays people are much concious about balanced diet. Protein is one of the important constituents of balanced diet.

The Indian meat industry is based on sheep, goat, cattle, buffalo, pig and poultry. Though meat has a very high biological value, its production and processing has always been the subject of social prejudice. The traditional form of meat industry in India is characterised by unorganized sector in the hands of butcher having very little knowledge of personal hygiene. However, an important milestone was the establishment of modern abattoir (slaughter house) in Mumbai in 1973. Today, there are about 3,600 registered slaughter houses and 30,000 meat shops and butcheries in the country. India ranks in the top ten in world meat production.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research the per capita meat requirement is 34 g but in our country only 14.3 g is available. Again, per capita animal protein requirement is 15 g but the availability is only 8.3 g. Out of the total meat production in India, 2 per cent is processed i.e. smoked, cooked, cured, canned, dehydrated, freezedried, etc. In export sector, out of total export of livestock 82 per cent is exported as meet and meat products. Indian meat export industry shares only 0.17 per cent of world’s meat export industry. India earns about 80 per cent of the total foreign exchange of meat industry by exporting buffalo meat (carobeef) to the Gulf countries. Hence, buffalo or buffalo meat is regarded as ‘black diamond’ of India.

Despite of having the largest live stock population our country falls short to fullfill the requirement of meat due to low quality of Indian livestock, lack of state-of-art abattoir-cum-by product utilization plant, and lack of co-ordination between public and private organisations.

There is an urgent need to tap the world meat export market as well as to meat the required or demanded amount of meat by establishing modern and hygienic slaughter houses. Moreover, if the quality of Indian meat is strickly controlled, the country would be able to boost its meat export considerably.

These measures will also help in fetching better prices for our products. So, there is a great potential for improvement and advancement of meat industry in India, which if harnessed optimally, would prove to be a boon for the economy and health of the nation.

Purabi Thakuria