29
Oct
Namibia has secured new markets for its beef in China and Russia, a development is says will help diversify its beef export destinations, as it seeks to shift away from market dependence on South Africa and the European Union.
Namibia “exported a small consignment” of beef to Russia and the two countries are finalising veterinary clearance before exports could resume, while China has “cleared” Namibia to start beef exports, after completing health inspections, Calle Schlettwein, Trade and Industry Minister, has said.
“Russia and China have potential, much higher than we can satisfy. This will help our industry move away from single market dependency which we have with the EU and South Africa,” Minister Schlettwein said, in an interview in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek.
In Southern Africa, Botswana’s beef industry is suffering from down winds of over-reliance on the EU, as its single biggest market.
Opening new markets will help Namibia in its bid to value-add its products before they are exported, in line with the government’s industrialisation policy, Minister Schlettwein said.
“The new markets mean we reduce numbers of animals exported on the hoof (to South Africa and Angola), which are of low value,” he added.
Namibia exports about 490 000 livestock to South Africa, its neighbour and largest trading partner, annually. Livestock exports to South Africa resumed in August after a four-month halt, when South Africa’s Department of Agriculture imposed new veterinary requirements.
Namibia also exports livestock to its northern neighbour, Angola, and is eyeing opening up new markets for livestock exports in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Namibia also exports about 17 000 tonnes of processed meats to South Africa and about 9 000 tonnes of prime cuts to the EU market, PJ Strydom, General Manager at Meat Board of Namibia, said by phone this past week.
Diversifying to China and Russia could boost Namibia livestock industry capacity and give it “market leverage on prices”, Minister Schlettwein said, but could not disclose the tonnages that could be exported to the new markets.
The deal with China has been a long time in the making and the Namibian livestock sector would benefit immensely from the market, the minister said.
“That’s where China comes in, they are willing to take everything from the best fillet cuts to offal at relatively good prices, for our industry this diversification is much-needed,” Minister Schlettwein said.
“Every new market is presenting opportunities to Namibia, the potential is unlimited, it’s a question of what can we produce for these particular markets,” Strydom, head of Meat Board, which facilitates beef and livestock exports, said.
Namibia started pursuing the Russian market well before it slapped a food import ban with European countries in a tit-for-tat retaliation over the Ukrainian crisis. “We started earlier than the EU food import ban.
“This helps us, it’s an opportunity that has opened up. Russia has said it wants to trade with Africa and it’s an excellent opportunity that we must take to trade with countries that we have good relations with,” Minister Schlettwein said.
Source: http://www.southerntimesafrica.com/articles/10467/Nam-beef-to-Russia–China-/#.VFDK44e9XbE