Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Goa government has clarified that the local meat trading community is not involved in beef exports to the international market. This statement came in response to an unstarred question tabled by MLA Yuri Alemao and answered by Animal Husbandry Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar in the Assembly.
The Minister confirmed that no agency from Goa is engaged in beef exports, and local beef availability remains unaffected. The state’s daily beef requirement is estimated at 20–25 tonnes, depending on the season.
However, the Goa Meat Complex Ltd (GMCL) has signed an agreement with SunfaceAgro Foods Pvt. Ltd., which holds a valid Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) license (No. 241), allowing it to export buffalo meat from animals slaughtered at GMCL. This license is valid until August 29, 2026.
Animals brought to GMCL for slaughter undergo mandatory ante-mortem health checks and require a transport certificate from competent authorities. The state earns ₹500 per animal in slaughter charges, ₹90 in GST, and ₹50 for the ante-mortem examination. If an animal is rejected during the examination, a ₹300 fee is charged for issuing the transport certificate. Exporters also pay electricity and 30% of water processing charges.
The government assured that a proper mechanism is in place to monitor the legal transport and slaughter of animals, and reiterated that the local beef supply has not been impacted by the GMCL-SunfaceAgro arrangement.
