Goa is staring at a beef shortage with traders suspending import of the meat from neighbouring Karnataka alleging harassment by cow vigilantes.
An association of traders said its members have stopped procuring beef from Belagavi in Karnataka.
This will continue till the state government takes steps to stop harassment by cow vigilante groups, it said.
“Harassment by these groups has increased in the state since Christmas. Traders have now decided not to import beef as trucks ferrying the meat are being stopped and confiscated in the name of illegality,” Manna Bepari, President, All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders Association, told PTI.
Due to this, the state now faces a beef shortage, he said.
Bepari said around 25 tonnes of beef is brought from Belagavi every day. “There is no production of beef in Goa as its lone state-run abattoir is no longer operational.”