Home ›› 10 Feb 2022 ›› Front
Meat importers are apprehensive of inconveniences as the new import policy comprises a provision of pre-authorisation by the authorities concerned.
According to the upcoming import policy 2021-2024, import permission will be required before importation of any kind of meat from anywhere of the globe. The cabinet on Monday cleared the new import policy containing the provision.
The Department of Livestock Service (DLS) claims that the new provision will help boost local meat industries.
The meat importers, however, ran counter to what the DLS has said.
They gave the version that the decision will affect meat import though there is a huge deficiency in meat production and consumption in the country.
As per the new import policy, pre-approval from DLS is required before importing beef, mutton, poultry and other types of comestible meat.
“After enacting the new import policy, DLS needs to formulate a procedure for giving permission, which will take time and stop us from importing meat till then.
Currently, there is no procedure in this regard,” Ahmed Tofayel Topu, general secretary, Bangladesh Meat Importers and Traders Association, told The Business Post.
“In international market the average price of beef is $ 3.5 a kg and we make import at $ 2.91 per kg from the neighbouring country. In local market per kilogramme of beef sells at more than $ 7.:
He said the price is double compared to that in the international market which is happening due to shortage of meat production in the country.
The average meat import price was $ 2.91 per kg and offal price was $ 2.10 per kg in 2021, as per the NBR data.
The new policy will also encourage cattle smuggling through Indian border. The country’s dairy sector still depends on Indian cows. The country is yet to develop cow varieties for meat.
According to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the country imported 1.15 crore kg fresh meat (Beef and Buffalo) and 40.43 lakh kg offal in between January 7, 2021 and January 18, 2022. All offal and meat had been imported from India.
Meat worth Tk $ 3.34 crore was imported while offal import cost was $ 85 lakh. On the other hand, Bangladesh exported meat worth $ 5,07,160 in the last fiscal year mainly to the Middle-Eastern countries, according to the Export Promotion Bureau.
DLS, however, sees no hassle in giving import permission. It also wants to handle the issue with caution considering the development of local poultry and dairy sector.
“We already have a desk working on issuing no objection certificate for different purposes. That desk will be designated for giving import permit. It will take a short time to fix everything after receiving the gazette of import policy,” said Debashis Das, director (Admin) of DLS.
“The dairy and poultry sector has achieved a kind of self-sufficiency. Now we are mulling over steps to boost meat export and earn forex. In this situation, massive import is somewhat conflicting.”
The official said the import volume is not huge; some meats are imported for five star hotels, and so it is necessary to deal with the issue with caution.
Asked about the new import policy, Toufiqur Rahman, joint secretary (Import and Internal Trade) to the Ministry of Commerce, said: “The approved copy of import policy is yet to our hand from the cabinet division. I need to see the approved copy first.”
In FY 20, the country produced 76.74 lakh metric tonnes of meat -- poultry, duck, beef, mutton and all types of meat -- against the demand for 72.97 lakh metric tonnes – a surplus production of 3.77 lakh metric tonnes, according to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS).
The demand was calculated 120 grammes of meat consumption per person.
Meat price is highest in Bangladesh compared to that in other South Asian countries. On the other hand, Bangladesh also consumes a less amount of meat than its neighbours.
On top of that, Bangladesh’s per capita meat consumption is 4kg while that for many countries is more than 100kg, according to the 2018 estimate of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
