Market watch
SHILLONG: Beef sales in Meghalaya have gone down substantially with traders attributing the plunge in business to rampant smuggling of cattle to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Expressing concern at the trend, Generous Warlapih, the general secretary of the Khasi Jaintia Butchers’ Association, said rampant smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh has created a shortage of bovines here and triggered the rise in the price of beef. “Although the Border Security Force (BSF) has time and again seized the smuggled cattle, we have received information that cattle are smuggled in 25-28 trucks every day,” Warlapih said. “In other words, 450 bovines are smuggled from the state to Bangladesh every day,” he said.
Pointing out that cattle smuggling was not rampant in the years before 2014, he said the situation has changed post 2014 with beef prices going up and traders and consumers alike, feeling the pinch. Stating that beef traders were incurring losses, he said, “Many suggestions were made to tackle the problem. It is not only the traders who are facing problems but the economy of the state will also be affected due to the losses.”
Criticising the state government for turning a blind eye to their needs, Warlapih said, “The state government is not doing anything. The spurt in the cases of smuggling is due to the weakness of the state government.”
He said that truckloads of cattle were being transported from Khanapara traditional market located at 9th mile in Ri Bhoi to Bangladesh.
“The state government is not willing to cooperate with us to check the menace,” Warlapih said.
Asserting that the livestock mission of the state government has failed, he said the mission focused on dairy farming and not on the meat business.
“Many from the rural areas would have been employed had the state government included meat production in its mission as well,” he said.
Peeved at the growing concern for smuggling, he went onto allege that the smuggling business was a thriving one that has benefitted many. “Many are involved in this business,” he said.
Elaborating on the cattle smuggling nexus, Warlapih said people engaged in it earn Rs 1, 25, 000 as they have to take the risk to transport it to Bangladesh in trucks.
“The cost of transporting the cattle from Khanapara to Laitlyngkot would come to Rs 1, 25, 000.
From Laitlyngkot to Bangladesh, the cattle are then transferred to Bolero Pick-up trucks which are then picked up till the border,” he said.
Stating that the demand for beef is high, he observed that customers cannot be expected to buy beef at Rs 300-350 per kg. “How can the poor afford?” he asked.
While the price for per kg beef with bones is Rs 300, boneless beef costs Rs 350 per kg.
According to Warlapih, most of the cattle come from Assam while only 10 per cent is from the state.
“Prior to 2003-2004, the cattle would come from UP and Bihar, but now that has completely stopped.”
Asserting that the market at Khanapara was “reduced to a stock market,” he said, “Most of the cattle that we get for meat are the lean and thin ones whereas sturdy ones are all smuggled to Bangladesh.”
Warlapih is also wary of politicians who politicise the beef issue.
He said, “They (representatives) will say, ‘let us come to power and we will do this for you’.”