Bangladesh cattle herds surge as India curbs smuggling

Apparel makers seize on higher beef prices to set up farms

20171017_bangla_beef1

Cattle producer Sadeeq Agro won attention when it sold a bull it had imported from Texas for around $20,000 during the Eid al-Adha festival in September. (Photo by A.Z.M. Anas)

A.Z.M. ANAS, Contributing writer

DHAKA -- Moves by the Modi government in India to crack down on the country's previously strong beef industry in the name of protecting cows, holy to Hindus, have given new life to the sector in neighboring Bangladesh.

Until recently, the porous border between the two countries was the backdrop to a thriving illegal cattle trade. But India has clamped down on cattle smuggling over the last year, and the number of cows traded across the border has fallen to around 2 million from 3.5 million annually, according to Robiul Alam, secretary general of the trade group Bangladesh Meat Merchants' Association.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.