Over the years, Africans are recognised for posessing strategic means of hunting animals. As a result, more meat are generated for consumption. Ethiopia is not left out among the best countries with skills for hunting.
Recently, the Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Industry Development Institute announced that the country has secured 72 million USD over the last nine months of the fiscal year exporting meat to United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
It was confirmed that UAE and Saudi are major importers of Ethiopia’s fresh goat’s meat and mutton. Institute Deputy Director-General Khalifa Hussein explained that both countries confirmed that Ethiopia has been able to supply fresh and healthy goat meat to thier nation.
The deputy general further highlighted that 60% of Ethiopian meat makes it way to UAE while 38% to Saudi Arabia and the remaining 2% to other Middle East countries. He noted that the country exports up to 50 tons of meat daily to the two countries and others.
Abebaw Mekonen, Secretary-General of the Ethiopian Meat Producers-Exporters Association, explained that gathering such a large amount of tons of meat everyday is not an easy task. He said that tangible plans are executed to meet meat market standards by equipping the sector with modern laboratory, chilled storage, loading docks and transport as well as certified abattoirs. He confirmed that it requires a lot of hard work to achieve such.
He said:
“We have managed to make almost all abattoirs across the country implement ISO 22000 food safety management system that helps them meet international standards.”
In addition, he explained that consultation forums have also been carried out with suppliers in order to ensure quality of cattle apart from capacity building trainings offered to workers in abattoirs. “It is a necessary step that must be taken” Abebaw said.
Apart from market regulatory, Abebaw said his Association works in concert with Association of cattle suppliers and the Institute in order to ensure internal meet sustainability as well a meet export.
Some concerned experts wonder what happens to the country if it could export such a huge amount of tons of meat. Some even concluded that the country will be short of meat since it exports so large. Speaking with some Ethiopians, they explained that the country lacks no meat, saying that the meat in the country is sufficient for everyone and that if the exportation will generate more revenue, the government should go ahead.
As a matter of fact, Ethiopia targets to secure over 150 million USD from meat export in the current budget year. This money is meant to develop the different sectors of the country. No doubt that, this will eventually be achieved.
