India is to begin exports of meat and dairy products to Russia by mid-2015, with the first shipments of buffalo meat due to take place in the coming months, according to official statements from the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry.

Indian companies are currently waiting for a decision from Russian veterinary body Rosselkhoznadzor on the list of approved suppliers.

"We are confident that, in the near future, our companies will be allowed to deliver their products to Russia," said director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Ajay Sahai.

FIEO has complained that the contracts on the supply of buffalo meat to the Russian market are still not signed, although Rosselkhoznadzor actually allowed imports of this product from four companies in India in December 2014.

The Russian veterinary body is also continuing its inspections of the Russian market with the intention to grant further export rights to other companies.

Officials from Rosselkhoznadzor have confirmed that, at the end of 2014, they inspected six other meat producing companies in India and, according to preliminary information, in each case Russian vets were satisfied with the quality of the products and safety of the production process.

As a result, Indian companies expect the range of products eligible for export to expand, before the first deliveries are expected later this year.

"The imminent start of supplies of meat and milk from India are equally important for both sides [for Indian producers and Russian market]," commented a source at the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry.

He also referred to the Russian ban on supplies from the European Union (EU) and the US and that it currently faces the risk of a deficit in certain categories of meat products, while for exporters in India this was the first chance to reach a new and very promising market.

According to Russian experts, the prospects for exports of meat products from India to Russia are now clearer than several months ago. Russian agricultural analyst Eugene Gerden said that following the selection of Narendra Modi as the country’s Prime Minister in mid-2014, there was a possibility that negotiations on the launch of supplies of buffalo meat to Russia faced deadlock.

"It was known that representatives of the current government previously spoke against developing exports of buffalo meat for religious reasons, but new steps towards establishing supplies to Russia show that the authorities do intend to develop this area of bilateral trade," said Gerden.

Source:globalmeatnews.com