The Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) has secured the majority of the 2023 Norway quota, according to allocations made by the Meat Board of Namibia.
Meatco has been allotted 1200 tonnes, while BeefCor has been allocated 400 tonnes of the total 1600 tonnes available.
“I can confirm the allocation of 1200 tonnes for Meatco and 400 tonnes for BeefCo,” Goliath Tujendapi, Executive for Trade and Marketing at the Meat Board of Namibia told The Brief.
Insiders say that the allocations stem from Meatco’s application for 1200 tonnes and BeefCo’s application for 1000 tonnes. In the previous year, the companies had secured the same allocation, which was part of a joint quota of 3200 tonnes allocated by Norway to Namibia and Botswana.
Meatco has been a consistent supplier of the quota over the years, delivering over 10,400 tonnes of beef as part of the Norway quota between 2013 and 2020. In some cases, Meatco has even taken up quota initially allocated to other parties, after they failed to fulfill their allocation.
In addition to exporting beef to Norway, Namibia also exports to the United States and China, making it the first African country to do so. For the US market, Meatco will be exporting boneless raw beef products such as primal cuts and beef trimmings, as well as chuck and blades.
The company expects the market to have a potential of approximately 5,700 tonnes per year when fully operational.
Research firm Simonis Storm expects increased livestock marketing activities to support growth in the country’s agriculture industry. The Bank of Namibia forecasts a 3.8% growth rate for the agricultural sector, with a 4.5% growth rate forecasted for livestock farming in 2022.