As many as 30 frogs are killed to make a kilogramme (kg) of frog legs. India exported as much as 4,000 tonnes of frog legs a year in the mid-1980s, the amount consumed in France alone every year.

During the heydays of frog-leg export, India used to export to many western countries, including usa, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and what was then called West Germany. India started exporting frog legs in 1957, and by the mid-1980s it had become the biggest exporter. Prior to its ban in India, exports grew substantially over the last two decades, because of increased demand from the West and due to better freezing techniques and improved transport facilities. The volume exported in 1983 being seven times that of 1963.

Bangladesh and Indonesia are also major exporters of frog legs. But not even a total ban has been able to prevent the killings. The export continues to thrive in all three countries.