Meatco and new entrant, BeefCor are expected to battle it out for the lucrative Norwegian quota for 2022 following a call for applications by the Meat Board of Namibia.
Indications show that both companies are gunning for the entire 1600 tonnes on offer, a position confirmed by BeefCor.
“This year we trying as much as we can get and if we get the whole quota the better. It will be easy for us to sell the whole thing,” BeefCor Shareholder, Jaco Swanepoel told The Brief.
On whether the company had managed to fulfill its maiden quota allocation of 400 tonnes for 2021, Swanepoel said the company had already delivered what it was allocated by the Meat Board.
“We were allocated 400 tonnes and it has all been delivered about two months ago,” he said.
Meatco, which has remained a constant supplier of the quota over the years, also delivered its entire allocation for 2021 of 1400 tonnes last month.
From 2013-2020, Meatco has delivered over 10 400 tonnes of beef as part of the Norway quota, in some cases having taken up quota initially allocated to other parties, after failure to fulfil their allocation.
According to Meatco’s annual report, the meat processor generates over 40% of its turnover from exports under the quota.
“It is important to note that Meatco have a Public Policy Objective as per our mandate established in the Meatco Act, and we continuously intensify utilization of quota in order to maximise benefit of our producers. This high-value market is one of the major methods that Meatco uses to maximise market returns and enhance revenue streams., “a section in the company’s annual report read.
Although companies are free to indicate their preferred quota when applying to the Meat Board, the allocation must still be ratified by the Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development.
Namibian also exports its beef to the United States and China, becoming the first African country to do so.
