The Telangana government is now working to increase the state’s meat production by 60% over the next five years
Post Date – 12:20 AM, Wednesday – 11/30/22
Hyderabad: A country whose capital city is sworn by biryani, it’s no secret that Telangana has a penchant for meat. The latest figures show a staggering 98.7 per cent of the state’s population are meat lovers, and the state government is now working to increase meat production in the state by 60 per cent over the next five years.
According to the RBI’s latest Statistical Handbook of Indian States, meat production in Telangana has increased significantly from 0.505 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 1.015 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. Currently, Telangana ranks fifth in meat production in the country.
Per capita meat consumption in Telangana has also risen sharply over the past eight years, from 12.95kg per person per year in 2014-15 to 21.17kg in 2021-22. According to the National Household Health Survey and the National Livestock Department, India’s current meat consumption is 4.5 kg per capita.
According to Telangana Director of Veterinary and Livestock Dr S Ramchander, half of the state’s total meat production comes from poultry (44%), followed by sheep (32%), buffalo (14%) and goats (8%). Demand for mutton is so high there is no room for exports, he said.
The Sheep Distribution Program has played a vital role in increasing the state’s meat production. Meat production has increased significantly since Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launched the scheme in June 2017. In just four years, this figure has increased from 754,000 tons to 1.05 million tons. Apart from increasing meat production, the sheep distribution scheme has created new wealth of Rs 7,920 crore, Dr Ramchander said.
imports fall
Dr Ramchander said meat imports had fallen by 80 per cent over the past two years. Earlier, more than 500 truckloads of sheep and cattle once came to Telangana due to meat shortage. Now it’s down to about 90 trucks. He said the state government expected a 60 per cent increase in sheep production over the next five years.
Hyderabad leads the way in terms of consumption and supply
Most of the meat produced and imported in the state is consumed in Hyderabad. About 15,000 sheep are slaughtered daily in Hyderabad to supply hotels, restaurants and personal consumption, Dr Ramchander said, adding that Telangana is a state of meat lovers with about 58,000 worth of meat consumed annually in the state. rupee.
In fact, Hyderabad has become a central market for meat supply as all meat from northern states is stored in Hyderabad and supplied to southern states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala states.
With 7.35 million sheep allocated under the next phase of the Sheep Allocation Program, the state’s meat supply will increase significantly, officials said, adding that the state will be one of the top three meat-producing states over the next three years year.
The country’s meat production has also increased from 6.69 million tons in 2014-15 to 8.8 million tons in 2020-21. India ranks third in the world in egg production and eighth in meat production.
NFHS Investigation Rebuts False Statements
A study by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) showed that over the past eight years, the percentage of Indian meat eaters among men and women has risen from 44.4% to 52.5% and 38.3% to 40.7% respectively.
It was found that more than 70% of Indians prefer vegetarian food. According to the survey, only 16.6% of men and 29.4% of women in India never eat non-veg. In fact, according to NFHS-5, two thirds of Indians are meat eaters.
Among the states, Telangana leads the way with 98.70% meat consumption, followed by West Bengal at 98.55 and Andhra Pradesh at 98.25%.
In Telangana, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar, the proportion of non-vegetarians was found to be over 97% %, while Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan had the lowest percentage of non-vegetarian populations. Interestingly, the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also seen increases in their meat-eating populations.
vegetarian population
India is often misunderstood as a vegetarian-majority country, but according to NFHS-5, only 30% of Indians over the age of 15 are vegetarians. Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan have the lowest non-vegetarian population (below 40%). Rajasthan has the highest number of vegetarians, followed by Haryana and Punjab. Interestingly, none of the South Indian states appear in the list of vegetarian states. The national average proportion of vegetarians is 29%.
