Staff Reporter :
Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Traders Association on Sunday expressed grave concern over informal import of meat from India by way of smuggling or to say under individual initiative, the chamber leaders said yesterday at a press briefing in the city.
They said the government is not aware of the fact or ignoring the development but the practice is in progress over the past six to seven months posing threats to local cattle fattening and also tannery industries.
The Indian government has proposed to export meat to Bangladesh is recent past and although the government is reported to have turned down the proposal, meat import is taking place informally, said acting Rabiul Alam, Secretary General of Dhaka Meat Traders Association.
He said India has changed its policy to export cattle herds to Bangladesh and instead trying to export meat under a distinct policy objective. Its ban on cow export to Bangladesh on religious ground is just a misleading slogan.
In fact by banning export of cow to Bangladesh India is working to develop its own tannery industry by holding back hide and raw skin and other waste for use in its own export industry.
Bangladesh was benefiting from use of raw hide and such waste such as horn, bones and tails as export items over the years along with raw hide to produce leather goods. India is now denying this opportunity to Bangladesh holding back such wastes slaughtering cows within the country. It wants to export meat directly.
This in turn is causing shortage of raw hide for use in local tannery industry in the country and also shrinking export of related products. Moreover direct import of meat from India will also cause big setback to local cattle fattening industry now developing rapidly in the wake of India’s ban on cattle export.
Rabiul Alam said informally imported meat from India; which is sneaking into Bangladesh across some border points is selling at Tk 500 per kg which is the retail price at local market. But this meat costs only up to Tk 180 per kg on the Indian side of the border.
Alam said some powerful people are involved in the informal import of meat including some chamber leaders. The meat is reaching the capital and other market places processed in small covered vans. It is not clear how the cross border trade is taking place dodging eyes of the law enforcement agencies.
The importers are supplying the meat at city hotels and even at departmental stores, besides pushing the sale through local agents.
Rabiul said the Ministry of Livestock has already requested the Commerce Ministry to stop the informal import but it appears the Commerce Ministry is not taking it seriously. Leaders of the Meat Merchant Association want to take the issue with the Commerce Ministry but they are not getting an opportunity in this respect.
Rabiul also said such informal import is not benefiting local consumers. They are importing at low cost and selling at twice as much price after meeting all costs. He also blamed the Chief Estate Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) for collecting extra money under the cover of tax pushing meat prices up at local market.
DNCC is realising huge amount of illegal money from cattle traders and there is no one to take care of its.
In fact extortion on the way and illegal realization of huge money by DNCC officials are pushing meat price to exorbitantly high level. Meat could be sold at Tk 300 per kg in the city if such extortion could be stopped, he said.
