JEDDAH, 27 January 2004 — Traders have welcomed the lifting of the ban on Indian beef imposed by the Kingdom 20 years ago.
“This is good news,” a food importer said yesterday. “India has been exporting beef to many Western countries as well as to some Middle Eastern and GCC countries. We’ve been expecting the ban to be lifted.”
The “temporary ban” was imposed on Indian meat in 1984, following reports that Indian animals were not healthy and that Indian slaughterhouses were unhygienic.
“I hope the ban on Indian seafood will also be lifted, as the seafood is being exported to many countries including the United States and Japan,” said Timochin Hassan, an executive in a food importing company.
“With the lifting of the ban, meat imports from India will pick up within a month as Indian meat costs $500 per ton compared to Australian or New Zealand meat with prices ranging from $1,500 to $8,000,” said the general manager of a food company. Indian meat imports are expected to reach 1,000 tons a month.
Last August the ban on Indian mutton which was imposed in 2001 was lifted.
