It is now well-known that India is on track to overtake traditional beef export powerhouses Australia, Brazil and the United States as the world’s largest exporter of bovine meat products.

What is less well known however is exactly where India’s beef and buffalo meat exports go.

Meat & Livestock Australia has tapped into the Global Trade Atlas to find out where India has been making its mark in recent years.

India’s rise to become world’s largest exporter was fuelled by 40pc year-on-year growth in exports in 2011-12, when its shipments reached 1.068 million tonnes cwt.

According to GTA statistics, Vietnam was India’s largest export destination in 2011-12, totalling 302,516 tonnes cwt – up 137pc year-on-year.

Exports also surged 16pc to Malaysia (103,906 tonnes cwt), supported by lower prices and growing demand for red meat.

Rounding off the top five Indian beef export destinations for the year ending June 2012 were Jordan (up 47pc, to 74,686 tonnes cwt), Saudi Arabia (up 30pc, to 72,597 tonnes cwt) and Egypt (down 9pc, to 72,155 tonnes cwt).

MLA said that along with cheaper product, the fact that all Indian beef is produced to Halal standards also gave it a competitive advantage in the Middle East.

Finalising the top 10 markets for Indian beef in 2011-12 was Algeria (53,733 tonnes cwt), the Philippines (47,452 tonnes cwt), the United Arab Emirates (45,291 tonnes cwt), Iran (33,982 tonnes cwt) and Thailand (29,935 tonnes cwt). Other markets for Indian beef include numerous African countries, including Angola (25,730 tonnes cwt), the Congo (15,117 tonnes cwt) and Gabon (7,225 tonnes cwt).

“Fortunately, Australia’s largest export markets, Japan, Korea, the US and Taiwan all received no product from India last financial year, restricted by access issues and accompanied by India’s inability to provide assurance of a Foot and Mouth Disease free status,” the MLA report commented.