Namibia’s livestock marketing reached record highs in the first quarter of 2024 due to intensifying drought concerns, official figures show.
According to Simonis Storm, the surge in activity marks the strongest start to a year ever witnessed.
Simonis Storm said marketing activity across all livestock sectors saw a significant uptick in March 2024 compared to both February 2024 and March 2023.
A total of 141,492 cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were marketed, representing an 8.4% year-on-year increase from March 2023. Notably, March 2024 saw 34,196 cattle marketed, the highest monthly figure since August 2023.
“Of particular note, 34,196 cattle were marketed in March 2024—the highest monthly figure recorded since August 2023. This total included 12,709 cattle slaughtered within domestic facilities and 21,487 exported live, predominantly to South Africa,” Simonis Storm Economic researcher Halleluya Ndimulunde said.
She attributed this surge to drought conditions, along with lower producer prices offered by local abattoirs.
Despite challenges, the livestock industry remains resilient, with a quarterly analysis revealing a significant uptick in marketing activities to 318,017 in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 259,743 in the same period last year.
“In March 2024, all livestock sectors experienced an increase in marketing activities compared to both the previous month and March of the previous year. A total of 141,492 cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were marketed, representing an 8.4% y/y increase from March 2023,” said Ndimulunde.
Ndimulunde said sheep marketing saw a notable rise in March 2024, particularly in live exports. According to the Livestock and Livestock Products Board, the shift in dynamics is attributed to drought conditions and, in part, to lower producer prices offered by local abattoirs.
In the goats’ sector, marketing activities increased by 7.7% y/y, primarily driven by growth in live exports.
However, pigs only saw marketing activity in the slaughtering segment, with no live exports recorded. The pork ceiling price remained unchanged at N$51.03/kg in March 2024.
This comes as a quarterly analysis reveals an increase in livestock marketing activities to 318,017 in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 259,743 activities in the same period of 2023.
South Africa remains the primary destination for the majority of Namibia’s livestock exports. In March 2024, Namibia exported 108,996 livestock to South Africa, predominantly sheep.
“Botswana followed as the second-largest destination with 269 heads of livestock, while Angola ranked third with 244 heads. Zambia accounted for 175 heads, and Zimbabwe received only fifty heads of goats,” she said.
During the first quarter of 2024, Namibia exported 2,936,183 kilograms of beef, a 106% y/y increase from the prior year.
Of this, 1,277,900 kilograms were exported to the EU, accounting for 43.5% of the total beef exports, highlighting the EU as a key market.
The United Kingdom and Norway followed as the second and third largest destinations, accounting for 27.2% and 13.7% of the exported beef, respectively. South Africa remains Namibia’s primary beef export destination among African countries.
Notably, during the first quarter of 2024, no beef was exported to Botswana, whereas 1,527 kilograms were exported during the same period last year.
Conversely, 976 kilograms of beef were exported to the USA in the first quarter of 2024, compared to no recorded beef exports during the same period last year.
