Meat consumption in North-East India: Pattern, Opportunities and Implications

available data is warranted as the policies regarding the

(2011). The Average MPCE on food was also studied for

agricultural sector are framed at state level.

comparing the proportion of meat expenditure in MPCE

on food in each of the NE states, of NE as a whole, and at

MATERIALS AND METHODS

national level.

The study is based on NSSO (National Sample Survey

Organisation) unit-level data on household consumption

RESULTS AND DISCUSION

pertaining to the 66 th round. The NSS 66 th round, which

The total meat and fish production in the NE states in

is the eighth quinquennial round, was carried out between

2009-10 is estimated at 512.3 thousand tonnes (Table 1)

July 2009 and June 2010 and is the latest in the series.

and it accounts for 4.09 per cent of the country’s total meat

As this was a quinquennial round, the sample size is very

and fish production in the same year. Assam ranks first in

large and covers almost the entire geographical area of the

terms of total meat and fish production in the NE states

country, making the sample a representative one. From

with a total contribution of 250.32 thousand tonnes of

the data, the observations for 8 NE States viz., Sikkim,

which 218.82 thousand tonnes is fish. Across the region,

Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,

maximum production is seen in fish followed by cattle

Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam were extracted separately

and buffalo, whereas mutton/goat production is least as

for analysing consumption expenditure as well as quantity

compared to other types of meat.

consumed of meat. The sample size for the NE States

The percentage contribution of the region to the country’s

consisted of 9153 and 4942 households in rural and urban

total cattle and buffalo meat production is about 10.24 per

sectors, respectively. After extracting the data, Average

cent, mutton and goat 1.43 per cent, pork 19.77 per cent,

MPCE (Monthly Per Consumer-Unit (1) Expenditure)

chicken 1.44 per cent and fish 3.71 per cent. Comparing

as well as Average MPCC (Monthly Per Consumer-

across the states for different types of meat and fish, it is

Unit Consumption) of all the different types of meat i.e.

found that in case of mutton and goat meat, Assam is the

fish/prawn, goat meat/mutton, beef/buffalo meat, pork,

highest producer followed by Arunachal Pradesh whereas

chicken, others (including birds, crab, oyster, tortoise,

other states produce a negligible amount of mutton

etc.) were computed for rural and urban sectors of all the

and goat meat. In cattle and buffalo meat, Nagaland is

8 states, of NE as a whole, and at the national level. All

the leading producer followed by Meghalaya. In pork

the figures were derived using the weights used by NSSO

production, again Nagaland ranks first followed by Assam

for the sample households. Also, with the use of weights

and Meghalaya whereas, in case of chicken Tripura is the

total quantities of all the different types of meat consumed

leading producer. Assam is the highest producer of fish

were computed for each of the NE states, of NE as a

in the region; other leading producers are Tripura and

whole, and at the national level. To get an idea about the

Manipur. Sikkim is the lowest producer of mutton/goat,

demand-supply gap in each of the NE states for different

pork and fish, it is seen that production of cattle/buffalo

types of meat in 2009-10, demand was considered as

is absent in Tripura, whereas chicken production is nil in

total quantities of different types of meat and supply was

Nagaland.

considered as production of different types of meat in NE

states in 2009-10. The data for the production of all meats

The pattern of consumption of different types of meat

except fish was collected from Basic Animal Husbandry

and fish in 2009-10 in the NE region is given in Table

Statistics (2012) whereas the data for fish production

2. Percentage of pork consumption in the region is

was obtained from Handbook on Fisheries Statistics

much higher (68.75%) which reflects the importance of

pork in the diet of NE people. The regional percentage

consumption of fish, beef/carabeef, and chicken is 9.52,

1

The consumer units have been used in place of actual

9.98, and 5.28 per cent, respectively of the country total

numbers as the NSS does not collect data on the alloca-

consumption. In other types of meat the total consumption

tion of food among household members. So, consumer-

in the region is about 29.39 per cent of the country total

units have been used to bring uniformity to the results.

consumption which points out the higher consumption

The consumer-units have been taken from Nutritional

Intake in India, 2009-10.

of unconventional meat in NE region. Chevon/mutton

Journal of Animal Research: v.5 n.1. April 2015

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