India’s Top Beef Exporter Donates ₹30 Crore to BJP as Govt Drafts Policies to Boost International Meat Trade

Key Points

India’s largest buffalo meat exporter, the Allana Group, made its biggest-ever political donation – ₹30 crore – to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the financial year 2024–25. The development was first reported by Scroll.in on 23 February 2026, and comes at a time when India’s meat exports are expanding globally, while violence and persecution under the garb of cow protection dominate domestic politics.

According to disclosures filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI), the donation was made through four firms linked to the group: Allanasons Private Limited, Frigerio Conserva Allana Private Limited, Frigorifico Allana Private Limited and Indagro Foods Private Limited.

The record contribution coincided with strong growth in India’s buffalo meat export industry. Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that the country’s beef exports crossed $4 billion in 2025, the first time the sector has reached that level since 2018. India is now the second-largest beef exporter globally.

The Allana Group itself reported a similar surge in business. Allanasons Private Limited, the group’s flagship export company, recorded revenue exceeding ₹10,000 crore, also for the first time since 2018. According to filings with the Registrar of Companies, the firm’s revenue rose to ₹10,320 crore in 2024–25.

Speaking to Scroll.in, Fauzan Alavi, Executive Director of the Allana Group, said the company saw “positive transformations” taking place under the current government.

He said the group had “endeavoured to contribute positively towards the further development and growth of a Viksit Bharat,” and praised the government’s economic policies, including tax reforms and changes to the goods and services tax framework.

Meanwhile, the Allana Group’s political contributions have evolved over time. In 2013–14 it donated ₹2 crore to the BJP, followed by ₹50 lakh in 2014–15. In 2019, the Income Tax Department conducted raids on more than 100 premises linked to the group and later alleged that the company had evaded taxes worth nearly ₹2,000 crore. That same year, the group purchased electoral bonds worth ₹7 crore, including ₹5 crore donated to the Shiv Sena and ₹2 crore to the BJP. Over the following years, the Allana Group continued to make political donations, including ₹2 crore through one of its subsidiaries in 2023–24.

The latest ₹30 crore contribution represents a sharp increase compared to previous years. Observers say the timing of the donation coincides with a period of renewed growth for India’s meat export industry as companies seek to expand into new markets after earlier disruptions in trade routes.

See Also: ₹3.5 Crore Spent on Gobar and Gau Mutra Under Guise of Cancer Research—Govt Project Flagged for Financial Irregularity

India’s Booming Beef Trade Industry

India’s buffalo meat export sector has continued to grow during the years of the BJP-led government. Indian law prohibits the export of cow meat, but buffalo meat and related products are permitted for international trade. Key markets include Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The industry faced a major setback in 2019 when China cracked down on the so-called “grey trade” through Southeast Asia. For years, Indian buffalo meat exported to Vietnam had indirectly entered Chinese markets through informal routes. When Beijing tightened border controls, India’s exports to Vietnam dropped by more than 60%, forcing Indian exporters to search for new markets.

Companies such as the Allana Group responded by expanding into Islamic countries and other emerging markets. Exports to Egypt and Malaysia increased significantly, with combined sales to those countries reaching about $1.2 billion in 2024–25, roughly double the level recorded in 2017–18.

Government policy has also played a role in this expansion. In January 2023, India reportedly urged Indonesia to increase imports of Indian buffalo meat, although the response from Jakarta remained limited. Later that year, the government introduced guidelines for halal certification of meat exports, a move aimed at strengthening access to markets in West Asia, Turkey and Singapore. The guidelines came into effect in October 2024.

Shortly after the halal certification guidelines were announced, food security cooperation was discussed during the state visit of Egypt’s president to India. Egypt has since become one of India’s largest markets for buffalo meat exports. In July 2024, the country announced plans to open an office in India to supervise halal certification standards for meat shipments.

Industry data indicates that buffalo meat continues to dominate India’s animal product exports. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, buffalo meat accounts for more than 89% of India’s total animal product exports.

The economic importance of the industry has also shaped government policy in other areas. In 2014, the BJP government lifted a decades-long ban on the export of buffalo tallow, a by-product of meat production. Buffalo tallow is widely used in non-edible products and as a base fuel in biodiesel production. The decision marked a shift from earlier restrictions imposed by the Congress in the 1980s, when concerns over the use of animal tallow in food products led to a ban on its import into India.

See Also: “It Is About Religion”: Muslim Cattle Trader Lynched by Mob in Jharkhand, Family Alleges Targetted Attack

BJP’s Contradictory Stand on Beef in India 

The growth of the export industry stands in contrast to the domestic politics surrounding cattle slaughter and beef consumption in India.

A significant portion of buffalo meat production comes from Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for nearly 60% India’s exports. UP hosts several of the country’s largest slaughterhouses and meat processing units, many of which are geared specifically toward export markets. Other states such as Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh also contribute to the sector, but none match the scale of Uttar Pradesh’s output.

At the same time, Uttar Pradesh has reported the highest number of hate crimes linked to cattle slaughter, with vigilante groups targeting individuals suspected of transporting or consuming beef. Several incidents of mob violence have been reported over the past decade, often affecting Muslims and Dalits. One of the most widely known cases occurred in September 2015, when Mohammad Akhlaq, a resident of Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, was lynched by a mob after rumours spread that his family had stored beef in their home. In November 2025, the UP government moved to have all charges against the accused withdrawn.

Cow protection has been a prominent theme in Hindutva politics for decades. During his 2014 general election campaign, Narendra Modi criticised the UPA government for promoting what he called a “pink revolution,” referring to the growth of meat exports.

“Across the countryside, our animals are getting slaughtered,” Modi said at the time, accusing the previous government of encouraging cattle slaughter.

Since the BJP came to power later that year, gau rakshak gangs have often targeted people suspected of transporting cattle or consuming beef. Human Rights Watch reported that between May 2015 and December 2018 at least 44 people were killed across India in incidents linked to cow protection vigilantism. Thirty-six of those killed were Muslims.

Such contradictions in the BJP’s actions and rhetoric underscore long-standing tensions between economic priorities and political narratives around cattle protection. After publication of the Scroll.in report, Priyank Kharge, son of INC President Mallikarjun Kharge, commented on social media:

“BJP is happy to consume beef donations, but if someone eats beef, they’re branded anti-nationals and in most cases, lynched. What’s the moral difference between eating beef and running your party on beef money? If the RSS truly care about Hindu sentiments, will their pracharaks protest outside the BJP central office and demand the return of these beef donations? Or is outrage reserved only for poor ordinary citizens?”

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