No cattle to beef up menu in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: Gangsters masquerading as Hindu activists are extracting money from cattle transporters to the state  resulting in shortage of beef and increase in its prices.

The cattle supply to the state has almost come to a stop  forcing the Malabar meat processing factory in Wayanad, the largest multi-species abattoir  in the cooperative sector in  the state, to close down the beef processing unit.

The factory, which used to supply up to 1,000 kg  beef per day, was struggling to get sufficient livestock due to the undeclared ban on  cattle transport from other states.

Mr C.K. Sivaraman, director board member of the society,  told DC that cattle merchants had stopped the purchase from rural cattle fairs as many trucks were attacked and lumpen elements had started extracting huge sums of money from the  merchants.

“They beat up the drivers and other employees who protest and take away the livestock to nearby farms alleging overload,” he added.   

The present shortage is caused by the strike by cattle merchants of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu who backed out from the purchase as many loads were either stolen or the livestock was released by the gangsters. 

On the Andhra-Karnataka border,  they  claim that they are Bajrang Dal workers who are ready for a compromise for sums ranging from  Rs 5,000 to  Rs 20,000 whereas on the Kerala-Karnataka border, they  say  they belong to Hindu Maha Sabha. On the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border,  they use the name of Hindu Munnani.

The price of beef has increased up to Rs 300 per kg  in Malabar markets which was Rs 240 earlier. The majority of hoteliers have reduced beef dishes and are also planning to increase the prices. “Soon beef would be an elite dish like mutton,”  says Mr P.K. Sathar, owner of Jubilee Hotel here.  

Mr  Moongayil Jiji, a Keralite trader at Gundelpetta,  told DC that there were  gangs blocking cattle loads citing an order issued by the former BJP regime banning transport of cattle.

“Selling livestock to non-residents was banned and the merchants from Kerala and Tamil Nadu purchase cattle using locals,”  he added.  

“For facilitating the transit,  the police, animal husbandry and forest officials extract  amounts  between Rs 1,000 and  Rs 2,000 at check-posts for each animal,  which goes to all officials,”  he added.

Such  fanatic attitude would hit  the rural farmers as  26 percentage of agrarian economy is based on animal husbandry, said Mr P. Krishna Prasad, leader of All-India Kisan Sabha, the farmers’ arm of the CPM.   

Earlier, a farmer could fetch up to Rs 35,000 for a bullock or buffalo. But the price has now come down to as low as Rs 15,000,”  he pointed out.