China’s customs administration informed Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development that exported buffalo meat must come from animals born and raised in Nepal and be under 30 months of age. This strict condition has halted preparations by Nepali meat businesses, which had relied on importing live buffalo from India for slaughter and processing before export.
Official data shows Nepal’s buffalo population is declining. Annual production is about 116,000 metric tons, barely enough to meet domestic demand. Export would require importing up to 70 percent of buffalo from India, but China’s rules now prohibit that practice. Nepal must instead rely on its own farms to raise animals that meet the requirements.
Government programs such as breed improvement, artificial insemination, subsidies, and pocket area development are long-term measures. Their impact will take at least three years to show results.
Meanwhile, Chinese investors have renewed interest in a large meat processing project in Sindhuli. The project, approved with 20 billion rupees in foreign investment, targets exports to China. The proposed plant aims to produce 200,000 metric tons of buffalo meat and 55,000 metric tons of byproducts annually, including hides, organs, and heads. It is expected to create more than 5,000 direct jobs.
Himalayan Food International Pvt. Ltd., in partnership with Chengdu Jian Food Company of Sichuan Province, plans to begin construction this month. The company intends to export “thermally processed cooked buffalo meat” to China. Earlier, the project faced delays after the Jenji protests disrupted investment, but Chinese partners have now recommitted.
A bilateral protocol signed during former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to China had raised hopes for large-scale exports. However, the new customs rules make short-term exports uncertain.
Currently, Nepal exports 34 types of agricultural goods to China through 61 companies. Five firms also export green forage (haylage), and Nepal has proposed exporting silage for animal feed. But buffalo meat, which requires high volume and a long supply chain, remains blocked by the gap between China’s strict conditions and Nepal’s production capacity.
