Staff Reporter
Windhoek
The steady increase in the consumption of beef locally and internationally is creating more opportunities for the Namibian meat industry as it enables Meatco to continue investing in newly-realised markets such as Hong Kong and the United States of America.
Despite the increase in beef consumption around the globe, effects of the recession are still being felt in many parts of the world due to a lag effect.
Communication officer at Meatco, Jethro Kwenai says one can observe a stable rise in beef consumption, however, the assumption cannot be made that this has a domino effect on beef prices as prices have not risen as the consumption has steadily done.
“Being in niche markets such as the EU and Norway as opposed to commodity markets in the Middle-East has allowed Meatco to continue maximising revenue as recession always hits the commodity markets hardest. “The niche markets always hinge on good relationships and quality products that are highly sought after and allow the company’s products to not suffer as much as products on the commodity markets.
“Due to different affordability trends and population dynamics, beef consumed in Namibia remains less than that consumed elsewhere.
“All of the products currently available have been researched and developed locally to cater for the various needs of Namibian families, providing variety and affordability,” he observes.
He says adding value to products can be accomplished in a number of ways, but generally it falls into one of two main types: innovation or coordination.
“In general, the problem is to evaluate what, where, how and who can efficiently perform the marketing functions.
“Our aim is to add as much value to carcasses as possible and to closely align ourselves with the needs of the end consumer of our products. As a result, we are constantly developing our value chain by placing greater emphasis on the quality and unique characteristics of our beef. Almost 100% of the slaughtered animal is processed and sold. In this way, we can maximise value addition opportunities,” he concludes.