The livestock sector is an important component of India’s economy in terms of income, employment and foreign
exchange earnings. An analysis of the composition of agricultural trade over the last decade shows that
traditional agricultural exports of India have been overtaken by new and more dynamic sectors, such as buffalo
meat exports.
Agriculture continues to be the primary industry in India which directly or indirectly supports more than
50 percent of the Indian population. However, agriculture in India has always been heavily dependent on the
monsoons and has hence been an inherently risky activity. In this case, diversification by increasing the share of
income from allied sectors becomes important.
Besides directly benefiting the rural economy, the buffalo meat industry also provides raw material for allied
sectors. For instance, high-quality hides for the leather industry, processed offals for pharmaceutical and pet
food applications, and finally rendering of inedible by-products provides poultry feed, special lubricants and
other products.
Driven by the structural changes in agriculture and food consumption patterns, the importance of buffalo meat
sector has been undergoing a steady transformation. In recent years the buffalo meat industry for export has
attracted heavy investment as we see major buffalo meat exporters expanding their processing capacities to meet
demand in new worldwide markets. The Government of India is also taking steps to provide thrust to the buffalo
meat sector by introducing schemes on salvaging and rearing of buffalo male calves and modernization of
abattoirs