Telangana’s love for meat is no secret, especially with its capital being known for its world-famous biryani. With the latest figures showing that 98.7 percent of the State’s population is a meat lover, the State government is now attempting to increase meat production in the State by a whopping 60 percent over the next five years.
According to the latest Handbook of Statistics on Indian States published by the Reserve Bank of India, meat production in Telangana has already increased significantly from 5.05 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 10.15 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. Telangana currently ranks fifth in the country in terms of meat production.
In Telangana, meat consumption per person has increased significantly in the last eight years, rising from 12.95 kg per person per year in 2014-15 to 21.17 kg in 2021-22. According to data from the National Family Health Survey and the State Animal Husbandry Department, India’s meat consumption is currently 4.5 kg per capita.
According to Telangana Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Director Dr S Ramchander, poultry contributes 44% of total meat production in the state, followed by sheep (32%), buffalo (14%), and goats (8%). He stated that the demand for mutton is so high that there is no room for export.
The Sheep Distribution Scheme has significantly increased meat production in the state. Since the scheme’s inception in June 2017 by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, there has been a significant increase in meat production. This has increased from 7.54 lakh tonnes to 10.5 lakh tonnes in just four years. Aside from increasing meat production, the sheep distribution scheme has created a new wealth of Rs.7,920 crore, according to Dr. Ramchander.
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Import of meat
According to Dr. Ramchander, meat imports have decreased by 80% in the last two years. Previously, over 500 truckloads of sheep and cattle were brought to Telangana due to a meat shortage. This number has now dropped to around 90 trucks. The state government anticipates a 60% increase in sheep production over the next five years, he said.
Hyderabad consumes the majority of the meat produced in the state and imported. Every day, approximately 15,000 sheep are slaughtered in Hyderabad for supply to hotels, restaurants, and individual consumption, Dr. Ramchander said, who also stated that Telangana was a state of meat lovers, with approximately Rs 58,000 worth of meat consumed in the state per annum.
In fact, Hyderabad has evolved into a central market for meat supply, with all meat supplied from Northern States being stored in Hyderabad and distributed to Southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Officials said that the distribution of 73.50 lakh sheep in the next phase of the Sheep Distribution Scheme would result in a significant increase in the availability of meat in the state and that the state would be among the first three meat-producing states in the next three years.
Meat production has also increased in the country, rising from 6.69 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 8.80 million tonnes in 2020-21. India ranks third in the world in egg production and eighth in meat production.
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