Another call for beef imports: Why were they blocked before?
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Calls have once again been made to allow beef imports, with the Restaurant Owners Association raising the demand. Imports of this particular protein have, however, remained suspended for a long time.
The demand was raised by Imran Hasan, secretary-general of the association, at a press conference held Saturday afternoon at the Fars Hotel anbd Resorts in Paltan, Dhaka.
The press conference was organized to highlight the difficulties facing the restaurant sector amid soaring commodity prices and to call for measures to address the crisis.
Beef currently sells for Tk 800 to Tk 1,000 per kilogram in the market. However, beef sold at Tk 800 per kilogram reportedly contains a relatively large amount of bone and fat.
The Restaurant Owners Association says restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to source a consistent supply of quality beef at these prices. Supply is also insufficient to meet demand.
Speaking at the press conference, Imran Hasan said beef was one of the main ingredients used in restaurant dishes. However, its high price was forcing restaurants to bear additional costs.
"Many restaurants cannot adjust their prices to reflect the increased costs because they fear that raising food prices will drive customers away," Imran said.
Lower-priced beef contains more fat and bone
Beef is currently sold at different prices in the market, with the lowest price standing at around Tk 800 per kilogram. However, there are complaints that beef sold at this price contains more bone and fat than actual meat.
According to the secretary-general of the Restaurant Owners Association, beef priced at Tk 800 per kilogram contains a higher proportion of bone and fat.
"This reduces the amount of usable meat and further increases operating costs for restaurants," Imran added.
Rising costs of livestock farming
Explaining the reasons behind rising beef prices, Imran said many small-scale farmers across the country previously raised a few cattle each. However, rising cattle feed prices and the increasing costs of livestock farming have made it difficult for them to continue doing so. As a result, a supply shortage is emerging.
To address the situation, the Restaurant Owners Association is seeking permission to import beef on a limited scale.
The organization believes that allowing limited beef imports under specific guidelines and strict monitoring could increase market supply and help ease price pressures.
Imran believes restaurants would benefit if they could source beef at lower prices. He said that if restaurants had access to relatively inexpensive beef from international markets, they would be able to offer meals to customers at lower prices.
"Five-star hotels and some specialized restaurants already import beef from abroad. Other businesses in the restaurant sector should also be allowed to import it under specific conditions," he added.
Beef import demands are not new
Calls to allow beef imports have been made before, particularly whenever prices of this protein have risen in the domestic market. Along with the Restaurant Owners Association, the Bangladesh Meat Traders Association has also raised the demand in the past. However, livestock farmers have opposed the move.
The Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) represents livestock farmers. When demands for beef imports were raised previously, the organization opposed the proposal, arguing that there was no shortage of cattle in the country.
Government data also point to the same conclusion. The association said that if imports were being considered because of high beef prices, the government could explore alternative measures to protect the domestic industry.
Brazil had offered to supply beef at lower prices
Two years ago, when beef prices in Dhaka were approaching Tk 800 per kilogram, Brazil offered to supply the meat at a lower price. However, the proposal never materialized.
According to various sources, Brazil had quoted a price of $4 (around Tk 500) per kilogram of beef.
In early 2025, Brazil's ambassador to Dhaka, Paulo Fernando Dias Feres, explained why the plan had fallen through. He said Brazil had offered to export beef to Bangladesh at a significantly lower price. However, bureaucratic complications and the failure to obtain the necessary certificates during the Awami League government's tenure ultimately prevented Brazil from exporting beef to Bangladesh.
When were beef imports restricted?
After 2012, India imposed tighter restrictions on cattle exports to Bangladesh, and cattle shipments eventually came to an almost complete halt.
A decade later, in April 2022, an Import Policy Order introduced, for the first time, a requirement for prior approval from the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) to import beef, goat meat, chicken and other animal meat intended for human consumption.
Since then, the department has generally not granted permission to import meat except in special circumstances, according to the DLS.
As a result, beef prices have risen in the Bangladeshi market. Against this backdrop, various groups have repeatedly called for imports to be allowed, but the restrictions have remained in place.
It remains unclear whether the latest demand from the Restaurant Owners Association will lead to the reopening of the country's beef import market.
