MUMBAI (Reuters) – India on Wednesday contested Cambodia’s claims that Indian buffalo meat was infected with COVID-19, saying it exports the meat only after getting COVID-free certification.
Cambodia earlier this week said three out of five containers of frozen buffalo meat imported from India tested positive for coronavirus.
India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which comes under the Ministry of Commerce & Industries, said: “All the consignments of Indian buffalo meat are tested in accordance with international standards and sent only after COVID-19-free certification.”
India, the world’s biggest exporter of buffalo meat, was hit by second wave of coronavirus, but new infections have fallen sharply in the last two months.
“We export buffalo meat to more than 60 countries by strictly following quality parameters. We haven’t received any complaint from any country so far,” Fauzan Alavi, vice president the All India Meat & Livestock Exporters Association, told Reuters. “We are very sure about the quality of the product.”
Indian buffalo meat exports in the June quarter rose 112% from a year ago to $1 billion, the APEDA said.
(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Neha Arora; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
