Syed Ali Mujtaba

When out of power, PM Narendra Modi was vocal in criticizing the Congress Party for the “Pink Revolution”—the nickname for India’s rising beef exports. He blamed Manmohan Singh’s government for encouraging the beef trade to woo the 14% Indian Muslims.

Modi had then promised to curb the beef export industry, but it turned out to be yet another promise he had never kept. Under Modi’s rule, beef exports have increased by 16 percent since 2014. 

Putting the brakes on India’s beef industry isn’t as easy as it sounds. The lack of a comprehensive, uniform law regarding cow slaughter makes it easier for people to find ways to kill cows if they want to. Inside India’s borders, people dodge the law by smuggling cows to states where there are little or no penalties for cow slaughter. So things go on, as it was going before.

India now ranks as the second-largest beef exporter globally, earning around $4.3 billion annually. The world’s largest beef exporter is Brazil, followed by India, Australia, the USA, and the UK.

Indian beef export began in the 1960s, but it grew significantly in the last decade under the Modi rule.  Today, India exports beef to 65 countries. The demand for Indian beef is especially high because it comes from free-ranging buffaloes fed on natural pastures.

The cow vs buffalo’s meat export is something that’s always being debated in India. It is said that the bulk of India’s meat export is buffalo meat. India has 115 million buffaloes, more than half the world’s population, and produces about 1.53 million tons of beef every year.”

Those who argue for cow meat say there are 76 million cows, and India is now the world’s largest milk producer. Most cows, past their milk-producing age, end up being turned into leather and beef export rather than living out their years in cow shelters. Even though some Hindus might argue that the beef export comes from buffalo meat, many in India’s beef industry say it’s likely that the cow meat too is supporting the lucrative beef export industry in India.

The business opportunities in the beef export industry are tremendous. The lucrativeness of the beef export business is attracting Hindus into this trade.  Money from exporting meat to oil-rich Gulf countries has brought Hindus to this trade.  Among the six largest meat exporters in India, four are Hindus.  1) Al-Kabeer Exports Pvt. Ltd company owned by Mr. Shatish & Mr. Atul Sabharwal 2) Arabian Exports Pvt.Ltd company owned by Mr.Sunil Kapoor 3) M.K.R Frozen Food Exports Pvt. Ltd. Company owned by Mr. Madan Abott 4) P.M.L Industries Pvt. Ltd. Company owned by Mr. A.S Bindra.  

Another notable feature that warrants attention is that all the beef exported has been stamped with Halal certification; however, the BJP-ruled government has imposed a ban on Halal certification for domestic consumption.