Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, December 5 — In the third quarter of 2023, Namibia experienced a substantial increase in beef exports, as reported by the Meat Board of Namibia. The review revealed a notable surge in cattle marketing, with 91,154 cattle marketed during this period, indicating a significant 52.03% rise from the 59,957 cattle marketed in the same quarter last year. The upswing was primarily attributed to heightened slaughtering activities at export-approved abattoirs.
Export-approved abattoirs contributed to the increased sales by slaughtering 34,398 head of cattle, while Meat Board-registered B- and C-class abattoirs marketed 5,066 cattle in the third quarter of 2023.
According to the Meat Board management, an overwhelming majority of live cattle (99.1%) were exported and marketed on the hoof, with South Africa being the primary destination, accounting for 51,206 out of 51,690 cattle. The remaining 484 were exported to other Southern African Development Community countries.
Namibia also witnessed a noteworthy 60.94% surge in the total number of sheep marketed in Q3 2023, reaching 190,825 compared to 118,569 in the same period the previous year. The increase was attributed to elevated live exports to South Africa and increased slaughtering activities at export-approved abattoirs. Out of the total, 150,175 sheep were exported to South Africa, constituting 78.7% of the overall marketing.
Conversely, the number of pigs slaughtered at Meat Board-approved abattoirs slightly decreased by 4.23% to a total of 11,020 pigs in the reviewed period.
In addition, Q3 2023 recorded a total of 46,807 goats marketed, bringing the year-to-date marketing to 104,824 goats.
Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) chairman Thinus Pretorius emphasized that Namibia stands as a net exporter of red meat and beef, catering to countries such as the United States, Scandinavia, China, and Norway. This positive trend reflects the growing strength of Namibia’s agricultural sector and the increasing popularity of Namibian beef in international markets, boding well for the nation’s economy.