The Growing Export Market for Indian Meat Products

Last updated on:

May 9, 2025

India might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of global meat exporters, but the numbers tell a compelling story. The country now ships meat products to over 60 nations, generating billions of dollars in foreign exchange each year. At the heart of this trade is buffalo meat – or carabeef, as it is known in international trade – which has quietly made India one of the most significant players in the global meat market. Yet, for all its progress, India’s meat export sector is held back by structural bottlenecks that prevent it from fully capitalising on its vast livestock wealth.

India’s position in the global meat export market
Why buffalo meat leads India’s exports
Major export destinations
The regulatory and institutional framework
Challenges limiting India’s export potential
Disease prevalence
Inadequate processing infrastructure
Supply constraints and raw material scarcity
Restrictive and variable state policies
Low value addition
The road ahead: opportunities and growth drivers

India’s position in the global meat export market

India’s rise as a meat exporter is closely tied to its massive livestock base. With 307.5 million bovine cattle and Asian domestic water buffalo, India holds the world’s largest such population, providing a strong raw material base for meat production. Most of this production is carabeef – meat derived specifically from the Asian domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

In 2024, the total valuation of buffalo meat exports reached $3.91 billion, a 9.5% increase year-on-year, with export volumes touching 1.24 million metric tonnes. Looking at the broader picture of all meat products, India exported more than $3.92 billion worth of meat in FY 2024-25, with buffalo meat comprising over 82% of total meat exports.

The country’s carabeef and related products make up nearly 79% of total animal product exports, underlining just how central buffalo meat is to India’s agricultural trade. Carabeef is particularly attractive in international markets because it is lean, relatively low in fat, and perceived as near-organic since buffaloes are typically raised on natural feeds with minimal use of antibiotics or growth hormones.

Why buffalo meat leads India’s exports

Several factors make buffalo meat the preferred export commodity over other types of Indian meat. First, there is the question of cost competitiveness. Indian carabeef is substantially cheaper than beef produced in Brazil, Australia, or the United States, making it an attractive protein source for price-sensitive markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Second, Indian carabeef fits neatly into the halal food market. Processing is carried out under halal-certified conditions, which opens access to Muslim-majority importing nations. Third, carabeef is largely a byproduct of the dairy sector – buffaloes are sold for slaughter after their productive milk-yielding years, which keeps input costs low for exporters.

From a policy standpoint, the export of buffalo meat is comparatively unencumbered. Only boneless meats of buffalo, goat, sheep, and birds are permitted for export – bone-in cuts, carcasses, and half-carcasses of buffalo are not allowed. While this limits the range of products that can be shipped, it also channels the industry towards standardised, value-added cuts that are easier to trade internationally.

Major export destinations

India’s buffalo meat reaches a wide network of countries, with demand concentrated in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Vietnam was India’s largest buffalo meat importer in FY 2024 with a 20% share of total exports, followed by Malaysia at 15% and Egypt at 14%.

Iraq emerged as the fastest-growing market, with nearly 99.5% year-on-year growth, almost doubling its imports from $373 million to $741 million. The UAE also recorded a strong rise of nearly 37%, reflecting increasing appetite for Indian meat products among Gulf nations. Other notable buyers include Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Jordan, Oman, and Singapore.

The geographic spread of India’s export clientele is significant. Southeast Asian markets prefer large-volume frozen cuts for wet markets, while Middle Eastern buyers prioritise halal-certified and increasingly processed products. This diversity gives Indian exporters some insulation against demand fluctuations in any one region.

The regulatory and institutional framework

India’s meat export sector operates within a structured regulatory environment. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce, is the nodal authority that oversees registration of meat processing plants, issues health certificates, and promotes Indian meat products globally.

It is mandatory for all meat processing facilities that export meat to be registered with APEDA. As of late 2023, there were 61 integrated slaughter and meat processing plants, along with 13 processing-only plants for carabeef. Every export consignment must pass microbiological testing and is accompanied by an animal health certificate issued by a certified government veterinarian – confirming the meat is derived from disease-free livestock.

All export-registered plants are required to hold ISO 9001 or ISO 22000 certification, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plays a key role in setting national quality benchmarks. The Indian government also supports the sector through the National Livestock Mission (NLM) and grants for abattoir establishment and modernisation under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Challenges limiting India’s export potential

Despite impressive growth figures, India’s meat export industry operates well below its potential. Several interconnected challenges hold the sector back.

Disease prevalence

Animal disease remains one of the most persistent threats to market access. Frequent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), black quarter infection, and influenza severely impact livestock health and lower productivity. FMD, in particular, has led to the suspension of Indian plants from certain export markets in the past. Developed countries with stringent animal health requirements remain largely out of reach for Indian exporters until disease-free zones can be credibly certified and sustained.

Inadequate processing infrastructure

India’s processing capacity, while growing, remains concentrated in a few states. Over 50% of government-approved slaughter plants are located in Uttar Pradesh, which leaves large livestock-producing regions underserved by modern facilities. Cold chain infrastructure – essential for maintaining meat quality during transit – is underdeveloped in many areas, which limits the shelf life and quality of products reaching distant markets. Modernisation of abattoirs, setting up of rural abattoirs, and registration of all slaughterhouses in cities and towns are considered essential for quality meat production.

Supply constraints and raw material scarcity

A fundamental structural challenge is that cattle and buffaloes are not reared in India specifically for meat; there are no government policies that support bovine animal rearing for slaughter. Buffaloes enter the supply chain after their productive dairy years, making availability largely seasonal. Farmers typically sell animals after the rainy season when animals are heavier, creating unpredictable supply peaks and troughs for exporters. This inconsistency directly affects export contracts and profitability.

Restrictive and variable state policies

Cattle slaughter laws in India are governed at the state level, creating a fragmented regulatory landscape. The laws governing cattle slaughter vary greatly from state to state, with some states imposing strict prohibitions and others maintaining more permissive frameworks. This patchwork of regulations means that exporters, particularly those operating across multiple states, must navigate a complex compliance environment. Transportation of livestock has become increasingly difficult due to cultural and logistical issues, with high costs and unpredictable supply disruptions at the abattoir end.

Low value addition

The vast majority of Indian carabeef exports are in the form of frozen boneless cuts – a commodity product that competes primarily on price. Most exported carabeef is sold in third-country wet markets and is not further processed via an organised sector. Moving up the value chain into processed items such as sausages, ready-to-cook products, or specialty cuts would allow Indian exporters to command better margins – but this requires investment in processing technology and food-grade packaging that many facilities currently lack.

The road ahead: opportunities and growth drivers

The outlook for Indian meat exports is broadly positive, underpinned by global demographic and dietary shifts. USDA projections estimate that India’s carabeef exports will grow nearly 4% year-on-year in 2025, reaching approximately 1.65 million metric tonnes, driven by rising demand from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Several structural opportunities exist. Growing protein demand in developing economies, the expansion of halal food markets, and cost-sensitive consumers in emerging markets all favour Indian carabeef. Investment in cold chain infrastructure, disease-free zone certification, and value-added processing could open premium markets that are currently inaccessible. The meat sector in India is growing at a 6% compound annual growth rate and contributes significantly to national food security, the economy, and employment generation.

Programmes like the National Livestock Mission, investments in modern abattoir construction, and digital traceability systems being developed by APEDA are steps in the right direction. However, coordinated action across state governments, the private sector, and veterinary institutions will be necessary to address disease surveillance gaps and processing infrastructure deficits that continue to limit market access.

India’s competitive advantage – an enormous buffalo population, low production costs, and established halal certification systems – is real and durable. The question is whether policy and infrastructure can catch up to translate this potential into consistent, high-value export performance.

What do you think? Given that India already holds one of the world’s largest buffalo populations, what specific investments or policy changes do you believe are most critical for upgrading its meat export sector? And with disease outbreaks like FMD continuing to restrict access to premium markets, how should India approach the challenge of building internationally recognised disease-free zones?

References

PDF 📄

The Growing Export Market for Indian Meat Products

Table of Contents

India’s position in the global meat export market 🔗

Why buffalo meat leads India’s exports 🔗

Major export destinations 🔗

The regulatory and institutional framework 🔗

Challenges limiting India’s export potential 🔗

Disease prevalence 🔗

Inadequate processing infrastructure 🔗

Supply constraints and raw material scarcity 🔗

Restrictive and variable state policies 🔗

Low value addition 🔗

The road ahead: opportunities and growth drivers 🔗