I would differ on the opinion, about meat export and cow slaughter. I guess every one must have seen cows, on roads at times being killed or maimed by the vehicular traffic. We can also find cattle eating rubbish at the garbage dumps, to simplify "no one" cares but every one wants the profit through milk or meat.
Cow has been referred to be holy animal and has religious sentiments attached to it.
If we look at times when settlers we settling along the indus river and civilization was expanding animals were being domesticated cows, goats, ox, sheeps and horses for the purpose of agriculture and as a source of proteins.
Meat was used since vedic times for sacrifices and it included goats, sheeps, cows, bulls and horses. Yagas with animal sacrifices were being performed and the slaughtered animal was regarded as holy food, which was distributed and cooked. The meat was integral part of the culture since the beginning of the civilisation.
However the concern is " Not" to eat beef or not to eat beef. The concern is to why not rest the poor animal who in any case will be end being hit by a vehicle or eating rubbish.
I strongly feel that ancient religious practice's need to be validated with scientific findings and sound reasoning.
i am in agreement with the unbiased, scientific & nationalistic views expressed by the writer Mr Jasmin Mohammed....this is how we as indians should think & act ...
On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 8:35 PM, Jasim Mohammad <jasimmd@gmail.com> wrote:" Stop Meat Export , Ban Cow Slaughter & Make India Healthy"
* Jasim Mohammad Since ancient times , animals particularly cow and buffaloes have special place n our civilisation. Perhaps India is the only country where certain animals including cow are being worshipped and regarded as holy. Hindu religious texts are full of their glory. Just before independence Indian cultivation was heavily depended on cow dung fertilizers. Tilting of land was under taken by buffalo pushing. In short our whole socio - cultural set up was depended upon them.
But with changing times and the industrial revolution and market economy changes in the pattern of cultivation and our attitude towards the animals drastically changed. In the begining it was presumed that the change priorities will help the nation to be more strong economically but with he passage of time it is being analysed that un-checked export of meat and meat based products apart of abandoning cow dung fertilizer have resulted in weakening us economically and on health grounds. Chemical fertilizers are harming not only our health but also minimising the fertility of the land we cultivate.
The biggest challenge to our socio - cultural mind set and requirement have came from meat export in our zeal to earn more and more foreign exchange. No doubt the country needs and badly needs the foreign exchange but at the same time we must be careful for our own needs. The disbalances which we have created are resulting in the downfall of not our health but future of our next generation.
India, a country where eating meat particularly beef is a sensitive religious issue , has become the biggest meat exporter in the world beating the Brazil. Data of ministry of Food Processing shows that India exported 1.89 million tonnes of beef ( larger part in buffalo meat ) in 2012 - 2013 which was 50% increase over last five years.
As far as earnings from meat export are concerned , it touched to 21,000 crore in 2012 - 2013. India has major markets in USA,Europe, Gulf and South Asian countries.
Even the US Department of Agriculture ( USdA ) has acknowledged that the Indian government has played a vital role in enhancing meat and meat products exports. Uttar Pradesh is the biggest producer of export oriented meat while Kerala is the biggest consumer domestically. Cow slaughter is banned all over the country except Kerala, West Bengal and the North Eastern states.
In general meat and particularly beef has become an important foreign exchange earner in India among the agriculture based commodity after Basmati rice with 31% increase in quantity and 52 % rise in value terms during 2013 - 2014.According to figures of Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA ) the beef export totaled 1449759 tonnes worth of Rs. 26458 crore lat year. The figure are really surprising for a country where meat particularly beef eating is supposed to be a taboo and has religious implications.
>The zeal on the part of individual meat business men and the government to earn the foreign exchange has resulted in depriving domestic consumers for healthy meat and milk for the next generation on whom our whole survival depends. Apart of that the cow dung fertilizer has become a rare thing and our cultivation and agricultural activites especially vegitable cultivation are highly suffering. The farmers are using chemical fertilizers which is resulting in either over fertilising or less due to illiteracy and on being ignorant scientifically. Milk is the essential commodity for healthy development of our children. But it is in short supply and out of reach of large section of Indian citizenary and the result is that we have an under nourished childhood and are consiquently producing weak and unhealthy citizen. That is not good for the nation as a whole.
>As far as milk is concerned , it is livestock enterprise in which small farmers can successfully engage in order to improve their livlihood. Regular milk supplies allow them to move from subsistence to a market based income.
>Milk production is estimated to have declined marginally to 134.5 million tonnes in the last year though expected to be 140.6 million tonnes in the current year. Total Indian milk consumption is set to match with its production this year while domestic consumption is pegged at 425000 tonnes.
>Cow dung or manure as fertilizer is very good for cultivation. when composed it has nutrient rich elements. It is also used as fuel which is environment friendly. The government should encourage masses to use cow dung as fuel as far as they can because it will save the gas for future and is economicall viable.
>In general meat eating and particularly beef eating is not part of our culture and is treated as taboo. It hurts religious feelings of largest religious group in India. In some cases this beef and meat has become tool of communal disharmony and flare up. Every nation needs peace and social harmony for its development and that is not possible till we balance our needs with the feelings of other social and religious groups.
>Hence meat export should be contained at minimum level. The better will be to completely ban the meat particularly beef export. By that our children will get better quality milk and the farmers will have rich dung fertilizer at no extra cost which will economically boost the farming in the country and will enhance agriculture income.
>Some people and lobbies take shelter under misguided plea that exports are essential for growth of country. That is right but if impartially calculated one will find that the loss from stopping meat export will be less than the increase in the export of milk and milk products. This is a crucial year in which our milk production will be just near to domestic demands.This is the year in which we have to take a positive decision in the interest of future of our children, communal harmony and national income growth and completely ban meat especially beef export.
>If the present central government has political will and courage , it should take the revolutionary decision and jump out of the net spread by some individuals and foreign countries in favour of meat export and ban it. the history will not only record the gains socially as well as economically of Modi government but will also realise dream of largest religious section of Indian masses.
* Jasim Mohammad is Director, Muslim Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Aligarh . He can be reached at jasimoffice@gmail.com
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