Meatco blames red tape
The Meat Board says if Meatco wants to export beef to China it would have to divert exports from existing markets such as South Africa.
Although there is a limited supply of beef in Namibia at the moment, that is not the main reason why Namibia has not yet exported beef to China.
The Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming, confirmed at a media briefing this week that no meat has yet been exported from Namibia to China. That is despite the fact that an export agreement was signed during President Hage Geingob's state visit to China earlier this year.
The ambassador claimed that Namibia did not have enough beef to supply to the Chinese market.
But Meatco spokesperson Rosa Thobias says the limited beef supply is not the main reason why exports to China have not yet started.
Thobias says the Directorate of Veterinary Services continues to work with the China Entry/Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association to get the necessary clearance. “Most of the communiqué is in Chinese and the ministry is busy getting all the technical support in order to expedite this process,” she says.
Thobias says Meatco is looking forward to exporting meat to China once all protocols and certificates are in place. “There is only a limited amount of beef and Meatco has been saying, we serve niche markets and that is our key focus area. Yes, we have a dwindling number of cattle for slaughter, but it's not the main factor. We all know that protocols and the original agreement had to be reviewed again and that is what caused all these delays.”
Thobias says the Certification and Accredited Administration of the Republic of China (CNCA) accreditation has been approved. But the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) protocol still needs to be approved. She says depending on the response from China, Meatco would start exporting between 80 and 100 tonnes of beef a month. Namibia will be the first African country to export beef to China. But according to Albertina Shilongo, the deputy chief of epidemiology, import and export control at the Directorate of Veterinary Services, the AQSIQ has been approved. According to Shilongo, Meatco does not have enough beef to supply China at the moment.
The Meat Board's trade manager, Goliath Tujendapi, agrees that not enough beef is being produced to export to China.
He says if Namibia wants to export beef to China it would have to divert exports from existing markets such as South Africa.
“Meatco will have to make a business decision and see what margins they are able to realise.” According to Tujendapi Namibia currently exports about 15 000 tonnes of beef a year to South Africa, and about 11 000 tonnes a year to the European Union and Norway. An agreement on beef exports to China was already endorsed in 2011 and in 2016 Namibia became one of the first countries to be approved for exporting beef to China.
However, only two months after the agreement there was an outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Namibia.
According to the agreement between the two governments, beef exports must be suspended for at least a year in the event of any such outbreak.
From 2016 to the first half of 2017, the country experienced lumpy skin disease outbreaks in the FMD-free zone of Namibia, notably in the Otjozondjupa, Kunene and Omaheke regions. These outbreaks were contained by means of vaccination, and were declared over in May 2017.
Late last year Namibia and China made commitments to remove the lumpy skin disease condition in their original agreement.
The Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming, confirmed at a media briefing this week that no meat has yet been exported from Namibia to China. That is despite the fact that an export agreement was signed during President Hage Geingob's state visit to China earlier this year.
The ambassador claimed that Namibia did not have enough beef to supply to the Chinese market.
But Meatco spokesperson Rosa Thobias says the limited beef supply is not the main reason why exports to China have not yet started.
Thobias says the Directorate of Veterinary Services continues to work with the China Entry/Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association to get the necessary clearance. “Most of the communiqué is in Chinese and the ministry is busy getting all the technical support in order to expedite this process,” she says.
Thobias says Meatco is looking forward to exporting meat to China once all protocols and certificates are in place. “There is only a limited amount of beef and Meatco has been saying, we serve niche markets and that is our key focus area. Yes, we have a dwindling number of cattle for slaughter, but it's not the main factor. We all know that protocols and the original agreement had to be reviewed again and that is what caused all these delays.”
Thobias says the Certification and Accredited Administration of the Republic of China (CNCA) accreditation has been approved. But the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) protocol still needs to be approved. She says depending on the response from China, Meatco would start exporting between 80 and 100 tonnes of beef a month. Namibia will be the first African country to export beef to China. But according to Albertina Shilongo, the deputy chief of epidemiology, import and export control at the Directorate of Veterinary Services, the AQSIQ has been approved. According to Shilongo, Meatco does not have enough beef to supply China at the moment.
The Meat Board's trade manager, Goliath Tujendapi, agrees that not enough beef is being produced to export to China.
He says if Namibia wants to export beef to China it would have to divert exports from existing markets such as South Africa.
“Meatco will have to make a business decision and see what margins they are able to realise.” According to Tujendapi Namibia currently exports about 15 000 tonnes of beef a year to South Africa, and about 11 000 tonnes a year to the European Union and Norway. An agreement on beef exports to China was already endorsed in 2011 and in 2016 Namibia became one of the first countries to be approved for exporting beef to China.
However, only two months after the agreement there was an outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Namibia.
According to the agreement between the two governments, beef exports must be suspended for at least a year in the event of any such outbreak.
From 2016 to the first half of 2017, the country experienced lumpy skin disease outbreaks in the FMD-free zone of Namibia, notably in the Otjozondjupa, Kunene and Omaheke regions. These outbreaks were contained by means of vaccination, and were declared over in May 2017.
Late last year Namibia and China made commitments to remove the lumpy skin disease condition in their original agreement.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article