Bangladesh will not approve without scrutiny Brazil's offer to sell beef to the South Asian country in exchange for readymade garment (RMG), reports bdnews24.com.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said this amid opposition from local livestock industry leaders to plan to allow meat import.
"There's no scope for taking a decision without review. The country's interests come first," Munshi said in a statement on Saturday.
The minister also said that local industries must be protected while signing free trade agreements (FTA) with other countries.
Bangladesh currently imports frozen meat from India, Australia and Indonesia, though the livestock farmers and traders say it is unnecessary.
They fear those related to the sector in the rural areas will suffer the most if the government accepts Brazil's proposal when Bangladesh has already achieved, according to officials, self-sufficiency in meat.
"The rural economy will be affected most if meat import increases, because livestock is a driver of the rural economy," said M Nazrul Islam, President of Animal Health Companies Association of Bangladesh (AHCAB). Women were also involved with livestock farming in villages, he noted.
"Bangladesh will become one of the top meat producers in the world soon as in fish and vegetables," he mentioned. "Beef imports are unnecessary," he viewed.
Lutfor Rahman, the lessee of the Gabtoli Cattle Market in Dhaka, claimed meat import has caused sales at the market to decline by at least 20 per cent.
Import is unnecessary because Bangladesh is sel-sufficient in meat, livestock farmers and traders say.
Annual meat import costs rose three fold in five years to about $2.5 million in fiscal year 2017-18.
In September, ten organisations related to the sector held a press conference demanding that frozen beef import be banned to safeguard the local farmers.
Sharif Ahmed Chowdhury, former chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, said at the programme that Bangladesh needs about 7.3 million tonnes of meat annually to meet the daily need for 120 gram per head.
The country produced over 7.5 million tonnes of meat from cattle, chicken and duck, he added.
Commerce Minister Munshi also admitted that there was no need for import of meat now, praising the government's efforts to develop the livestock industry.
"Local industries must be protected while signing FTAs with other countries. Efforts are on to sign FTAs for expansion of global trade considering every aspect," he said.
