India opens market for Brazilian chicken products: report
29 Apr 2019
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India has allowed a Brazilian poultry firms to sell products here, after it allowed frozen chicken legs from the US into the country, a move that would jeopardise business prospects for domestic poultry farmers.
JBS, the largest meat processor in Brazil, is set to introduce its chicken products, including thighs and leg quarters, in the Indian market soon through its subsidiary Seara.
Seara is reported to have received approval from authorities to sell its chicken products in the country.
Domestic poultry firms fear that they may have to close business if the flow from overseas continues unabated.
India had lost a protracted dispute at the WTO to the US with regard to poultry imports.
Per the latest DGCIS (Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics) data,
Poultry product imports into the country rose to 797.73 tonnes, valued at $5.45 million (Rs37 crore) for the April-January 2018-19 period. In the previous financial year, poultry imports stood at 572 tonnes valued at $4.17 million (Rs26.87 crore).
Interestingly, poultry imports from the US increased the most, at 136.92 tonnes valued at $1.2 million, in April-January 2018-19, as against 0.01 tonnes in the previous year.
Poultry farmers in India are demanding higher tariffs on maize imports to tide over short supplies as also a higher bound duty on chicken product imports to protect domestic farmers.
India’s per capita meat consumption, according to Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association, is set to grow to 5.98 kg by 2025 from 3.35 kg in 2017 with the population rising and income levels growing.
