India: Livestock and Products Semi-annual

The expansion of India’s dairy sector is driving the increase in the cattle (both bovine and Asian domestic water buffalo) herd numbers. In marketing year (MY) 2023 (January-December) herd numbers have grown to 307.5 million head as compared to 306.7 million head in 2022. FAS New Delhi (Post) estimates that in MY 2023, India’s carabeef and beef production will subsequently increase by two percent to 4.4 million metric tons (MMT) beyond last year’s estimates. Production expansion is attributed to growing demand for carabeef from India’s export markets. India’s carabeef and beef consumption estimates for 2022 and 2023 are revised higher to 2.9 MMT and 2.96 MMT respectively as water buffalo beef continues to remain the most affordable source of animal protein. Post is raising the carabeef export number to 1.48 MMT in 2023 as industry sources are reporting increased demand from Malaysia and Middle Eastern markets.