Namibia has become the first African country to export red meat to the US on a commercial scale.

As reported by Reuters, state-owned Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) sent its first consignment (which departed via Walvis Bay port, and is en route to Philadelphia) comprising 25 tons of beef. After nearly two decades of negotiations, Namibia is eligible to export 860 tons of boneless, raw-beef products (frozen/chilled) in the first year and, within five years, 5 700 tons to the US per annum.

Shipments also benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, under which the exports are duty-free.

Meatco holds a 50% share of Namibia’s NAD3.9 billion livestock sector. It already exports meat to Norway, the UK, China and some European countries. Meanwhile, on a global scale, the US ranks high in terms of meat consumption – an average of 120 kg per person per year.

03 March 2020
Image: Alamy