Beef supply resumes in Goa after month-long disruption

Panaji: After nearly a month-long disruption, the supply of fresh beef to Goa resumed on Tuesday, bringing relief to consumers across the state. Fresh consignments sourced from Karnataka reached retail outlets after being processed at Goa’s only govt-run abattoir, the Goa Meat Complex Limited (GMCL) at Usgao.“All those who placed orders received their consignments,” an official said. The restoration of supply was made possible through the existing partnership between the GMCL and Karnataka-based Sunface Agrofoods Pvt Ltd. Over the weekend, around 50 animals were transported from Karnataka to Goa. The GMCL confirmed that the animals underwent mandatory ante-mortem testing before being slaughtered on Monday.Sunface Agrofoods Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with GMCL, has equipped the Usgao facility with advanced blast-freezing technology. This system can freeze freshly slaughtered livestock within 30 minutes. “Even though we are here to export beef, our priority is to ensure that meat traders in Goa have enough supply,” said Asim Chikodi, managing director of Sunface Agrofoods Pvt Ltd. “We supplied about six to seven tonnes of beef to local traders on Tuesday,” he told TOI.Goa faced a severe beef shortage in Aug, with supply plummeting by nearly 85%, from a daily average of 20 tonnes to as little as 2-5 tonnes. This figure excludes the 8-10 tonnes typically directed to cold storage facilities and hotels. The disruption stemmed from a strike by meat traders in neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra.Despite the resumption in supply, local meat sellers say the current quantity is insufficient to meet the full demand. “Most of the stock was exhausted by afternoon,” said the general secretary of the Quraishi Meat Traders Association, Anwar Bepari. “We are hopeful that the Goa Meat Complex increases the number of animals soon. Full-fledged sale will resume once the regular supply resumes.”