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Broiler meat main source of animal protein in GCC
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Wednesday, 01 February, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Pramila Umarao, Akhilesh K Verma and Pavan Kumar
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The countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are called Gulf countries. These are Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen.
Vast deserts and natural resources such as petroleum, minerals, fish, etc. are common to the countries in this region. The climate is arid. This results in scanty fodder accessibility.
There is a sparse population of farm animals, and therefore, the meat production is low. The land is not fertile enough for pastures, which are necessary for the rearing of animals for food.
In addition to the aforementioned limitations, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has categorised red and processed meat as carcinogenic. This is decreasing the intake of these meats among certain sections of the literate population.
Poultry - An important protein source
Poultry - broiler meat, to be precise - is the most important source of animal protein for the residents of member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
In 2014, the total intake in reached two million tonnes. However, just 759,000 tonnes was produced during the period.
Saudi Arabia is the leading broiler meat producer in the GCC. It produces approximately 6,50,000 tonnes of poultry meat. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates rank second and third, with an output of 44,000 and 43,000 tonnes respectively.
Poultry meat (broiler) production increased at 6.49 per cent yearly between 2010 and 2015, because some members produced more chicken to meet the future demand.
To increase the domestic poultry production, Saudi Arabia provided funds to producers. It also funded research to enhance the productivity and reduce the mortality rates of poultry.
The UAE focussed on research on the native diversity of poultry species that were resistant to various diseases and reducing losses during production.
Qatar was another GCC member that gave priority to the improvement of infrastructure, encouraging investment in the poultry sector.
Despite the fact that all GCC members provided native poultry manufacturers with various facilities and incentives, poultry meat production was still inadequate to fulfil the region’s requirement, which grew at 3.75 per cent per annum, on an average, between 2010 and 2015.
Demand for halal meat
The rapidly increasing population and the increase in wealth in the Gulf countries, mainly due to the export of crude oil, are the reasons to which the increasing demand for halal meat can be attributed.
Euromonitor International reported that vis-a-vis the global average, the amount of sales of fresh meat is occasionally higher in Muslim countries.
In addition to that, there is a rising market prospect in GCC countries. For example, the UAE will host Expo 2020, and Qatar will host the soccer World Cup finals in 2022. These events represent a terrific demand and opportunities for the halal meat market.
In the UAE, the growth in the amount of meat sold increased by seven per cent in 2013. It is possible to maintain this trend due to the strong financial system, the growing awareness about domestic meals and the tendency to eat out on holidays and at the weekends.
The worldwide industry for halal meat products is expected to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and is multiplying as Muslim populations grow.
Manufacturers in non-Islamic countries, such as Brazil, the United States and Australia, are keen to tap into this marketplace.
As a part of its drive to become the worldwide centre of Islamic business and economics, the UAE is positioning itself to be their entry point.
Officials in the country recently declared that Dubai had committed an area measuring about 6.7 million sq ft in Dubai Trade City for a halal cluster, so that companies that deal in halal food, cosmetics and personal care commodities can conduct business.
The Dubai Industrial City authorities have suggested that a region be earmarked exclusively for halal producers, because there was a great demand, locally as well as globally, for such products.
Demand for Indian meat
The demand for Indian meat is high in countries that have a high meat intake. These include the GCC countries and Malaysia.
The high demand for Indian meat in the global market can be attributed to its low price and the fact that it is leaner and organic.
As far as the production cost of Indian meat is concerned, it is about 20 per cent cheaper than that of meat in other countries, where animals are reared exclusively for their meat.
In India, older animals, who have stopped yielding milk, are sent to the abattoir for slaughtering.
The high demand for Indian meats in the Persian Gulf countries can also be attributed to the confidence of the consumers that it is slaughtered in the manner Muslims consider ritualistically appropriate.
Indian meat is exported to about 65 countries. The largest importers are Vietnam (40 per cent), Malaysia (nine per cent), Thailand (seven per cent) and Saudi Arabia (six per cent).
India exports both frozen and fresh chilled meat to these countries. The most important markets for Indian buffalo meat (cara beef) are Malaysia and Egypt and for sheep meat (mutton) and goat meat (chevon) are the UAE, Iran and Jordan.
India also exports smaller quantities of processed meat products to Thailand, Yemen and Japan, and poultry meat products to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia is the biggest importer of frozen chicken in the Middle East. One of the most important reasons for this is that each year, over 2.5 million pilgrims visit the countries for Haj. The halal meat market in the country is worth approximately $5 billion per year.
The biggest traders of halal meat to Saudi Arabia include the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, India and the Netherlands.
Among the meat-exporting nations, Brazil is the top chicken dealer and Thailand is the top processed meat exporter to Saudi Arabia.
According to the ministry of foreign trade, meat consumption in the UAE has increased threefold. Vis-a-vis the global average, the country consumes 18 times more meat. It is one of the five largest importers of the world.
Poultry meat is preferred to red meat or any other kind of meat. Frozen poultry meat is imported from France, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
In monetary terms, Kuwaiti exports to Pakistan are currently estimated to be worth $750 million.
Bahrain depends on imports of meat from other countries owing to the lack of small farm holdings, the shortage of labour and inadequate financial encouragement.
Of late, consumption and import of meat has decreased in the Arabian nations has taken a hit due to the decrease in the price of oil in the international market, which has resulted in an adverse impact of the economies of these nations.
(Verma is teaching associate, DUVASU, Mathura, Umarao is veterinary officer, Uttar Pradesh, and Kumar is assistant meat technologist, Department of LPT, COVS, GADVASU, Ludhiana. They can be contacted at vetakhilesh@gmail.com)
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