Windhoek
Meatco has made several improvements to prepare its factory for the first beef exports to China, but is still awaiting an official communique from the Directorate of Veterinary Service in terms of the recent statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry on the permit granted from China to export beef to that country.
With that, Namibia became the first country in Africa to qualify for beef-in-bone exports to China.
The Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) of the People’s Republic of China sent a delegation to Namibia for an on-site evaluation of the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) from January 22 to 26, following Meatco’s application to export beef products to China.
Based on feedback received from the CNCA, there were a few issues that Meatco had to address before export could be considered, says Meatco’s communication officer, Undamuje Hambira
“These include improving our quarantine record before slaughter; better staff awareness of hygiene; enhancing verification work before recommending enterprises to China; various issues relating to enterprise applications; improving facilities and identification of mark management, she notes.
Meatco has revisited these concerns and reported back to the Chinese government, to allow trade in meat products to commence between the two countries.
The Chinese market is very important to Meatco, as it holds many additional opportunities for the marketing of the company’s product range.
According to Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Milton Maseke, it is now up to Meatco to identify markets in Hong Kong, where the beef will be exported to. Therefore, no date has been finalised for when the exports will commence.
Maseke also said the import/export permits, which Meatco applied for, still have to be finalised, as well as the issue of exporting mutton to China. He said that at this stage there is no set quota from China.
Maseke, however, pointed out that China has a population of about 1.3 billion people, while Namibia produces about 60 000 tonnes of beef annually. Of this, 20 000 tonnes are exported to Europe and South Africa. Maseke said Meatco has export experience, while China is a niche market that must be satisfied.
He said the pressure would be on producers, who must increase production to meet the demand of the new markets that are opening up. The types of products eligible for the Chinese market include boneless and bone-in frozen beef cuts.
Meatco intends to request that the government renegotiate with China to add vacuum-packed fresh beef on the product list. Vacuum-packed chilled beef and offal are the most sought-after products in the Chinese market, fetching premium prices. The volumes and type of product will depend on their prices.
The Chinese market, as opposed to the European Union (EU), Swiss and Norwegian markets, will allow for the import of bone-in beef, provided that the animals are slaughtered and the beef is processed and certified at an export-approved slaughterhouse or abattoir by the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
According to the conditions of the agreement, the cattle slaughtered for the export market should come from a farm that has not introduced any cloven-hooved animal where vaccination has not been practiced during the past 12 months. The farm should also be in an FMD-free zone.