The New Nation - Internet Edition

PRIVATE entrepreneurs who are in the world market with high quality products are of the view that 'lack of government support' to meet international health and hygiene compliances holds back potentials of the huge red meat export market. Apart from catering to the local market, meat processors can foray into the Middle East and the Southeast Asian markets of about 30 crore people who consume halal meat. According to recent media reports, the meat industry will have a lot of spin-offs and help earn extra foreign exchange.

A private meat processing company with this aim in view was set up at Sathia in Pabna in 2006 at a cost of Taka 45 crore but it has been able to achieve not more than 30 per cent of the set target for 'lack of proper certification'. The company has started to export meat to the UAE and Qatar. As media reported, the local meat processors are committed to cater to the domestic market with 'premium quality meat' and 'high quality meat products' according to the needs of individual clients in hygienic preparation and presentation under automated cutting, freshly dressed, chilled or frozen as desired by customers.

The annual demand for meat in Bangladesh is about 8 lakh tons. The daily demand is 45 tons of beef and around 5.3 tons mutton in the Dhaka city alone. One-fourth to one-fifth of the world population is Muslim and the international halal food trade is estimated at US $150 billion per year. Moreover, there is huge demand for livestock byproducts which are wastes because of the traditional slaughter system. The government would have to provide mad-cow disease free certification, declare certain areas as foot-and-mouth disease free zone, besides going by the rules of the World Animal Health Organisation for promoting country's red meat export.