Export opportunities for meat abound in Africa

AFRICA remains an untapped market for Zimbabwe and presents many export opportunities across all sectors.

IN fact, the continent presents a convenient avenue for the country to grow its exports by leveraging on logistical advantages, relations and existing trade agreements. In his recent column in The Sunday Mail, President Mnangagwa indicated that Africa provides the strongest defence of Zimbabwe’s interests.

He also said Zimbabwe would strive to unlock economic opportunities from its good relations with countries on the continent.

The country’s economic diplomacy agenda — being spearheaded by the Second Republic through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade — is expected to pave the way for local products across the continent.

The focus on Africa is not by chance. It is a deliberate strategy rooted in the realisation that the continent has abundant opportunities, most of which have been exploited by countries from other continents.

For example, Africa has a huge market for meat, but it imports most of it from outside the continent. According to Trade Map, Africa’s meat and edible offal import bill grew to US$4,7 billion in 2022, up from US$4,5 billion a year earlier.

The biggest exporters of meat and edible offal to the continent last year were Brazil (US$1,4 billion), India (US$711 million), the United States (US$691 million), Netherlands (US$212 million) and Poland (US$202 million).

Other exporters to Africa accounting for a sizeable share are Spain, Belgium, South Africa, Türkiye, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The fact that Africa is prepared to look across the world for meat and edible offal must excite livestock farmers.

Meat market in Africa

The meat market in Africa is huge. Statistics show that the continent is failing to meet its own demand for the product, as most countries are sourcing it from other continents. Currently, Egypt is Africa’s biggest importer of meat and edible offal. Frozen bovine meat constitutes the largest share of the imports at around US$1 billion.

Other top imports from the sub-sector in Egypt in 2022 were edible offal (US$186 million), fowl meat and edible offal (US$90 million), fresh or chilled bovine meat (US$21,2 million), and sheep or goat meat (US$10,1 million). Leading suppliers of Cairo last year were India, Brazil, the US, Australia, Sudan, Paraguay and Colombia.

Closer to Zimbabwe is Angola, which is the second-biggest importer of meat and offal in Africa.

According to Trade Map, the country’s imports grew from US$356 million in 2021 to US$578,9 million in 2022.

Of last year’s total import bill of meat and edible offal in Angola, fowls, specifically chickens, accounted for the largest share (US$405,5 million), followed by swine meat (US$76 million), edible offals (US$50 million) and bovine meat (US$31,7 million).

In terms of source markets, the bulk of meat imports in Angola come from the US (US$195 million), Brazil (US$193,8 million), Portugal (US$21,6 million), Netherlands (US$21,4 million) and Poland (US$21,3 million).

Other top countries that import meat to Angola include Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

Considering that Luanda has a huge market for meat and is willing to buy from other continents, local exporters can take advantage of distance to benefit from the situation.

Local companies can also ride on existing trade instruments — especially the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Trade, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

South Africa is Africa’s third-largest importer and second largest in Southern Africa. However, South Africa’s imports have been fluctuating in recent years, recording US$403,6 million in 2022, US$524,3 million in 2021 and US$426 million in 2020.

Last year, imports of meat and edible offal in South Africa were largely made of fowl meat and edible offal (US$278,7 million), edible offal of other animals (US$54,5 million) and swine meat (US$51,7 million). Most of the meat imports in South Africa come from Brazil (US$222,8 million), the US, Argentina, Spain, the UK, Australia and Ireland.

In the SADC region, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has also been growing its meat imports, from US$99,1 million in 2021 to US$109,9 million in 2022.

ZimTrade — the national trade development and promotion organisation — has organised several programmes to link Zimbabwean exporters and buyers in the DRC, where interest in local products has been growing.

Engagements with leading buyers have shown a huge market for Zimbabwean beef in provinces such as Kinshasa, Haut-Katanga, Lualaba and Haut-Lomami.

Currently, most imports of meat and edible offal in the DRC come from Poland, Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium, Germany and Italy.

As it stands, there are buyers in the DRC that are prepared to import meat from Zimbabwe.

Local exporters who can supply consistently can engage ZimTrade for linkages with the leading distributors.