Live Animal and Meat Export Revenue Grows by 247 Percent in Five Years

(March 27, 2011 (Addis Ababa, ENA) - The amount of foreign currency Ethiopia gets annually from live animal and meat export has shown an accelerated growth in the last five years, the Ministry of Trade said.

Communication Director with the Ministry, Amakel Yimam told ENA on Sunday in an exclusive interview with ENA that animal and meat export revenue had jumped to 124.7 million US dollars in 2002 Ethiopian fiscal year from only 45 million dollars in 1998 showing an over 247 per cent growth.

The two export products had generated an annual export revenue of 72.6 dollars on average in the last five years showing an average growth of 61 per cent per annum, according to the data obtained from the ministry.

This year, the figure is anticipated to reach 151 million dollars that would show a growth rate of 16.3 per cent compared to that of the amount generated by the products last year.

The rise in the demand in the global market, the control of animal diseases and the luring incentive being provided by the government are the major factors for the growth in the amount of the revenue, Amakel said.

Though Ethiopia is 1st and 8th in livestock population in Africa and the world respectively, it meats about 40 per cent of the demand for its products in the global market for various reasons, according to Meat Export and Animal Export Association.

However, as the market is booming, the government is working hard to build the capacity of local exporters and attract as many investors as possible to the sector to increase the volume of the exports.

Making adequate amount of loan, training and consultative services on how to establish standard slaughter houses, handle live animals at rearing centers, maximum precautions to be taken starting from pre and after killing of cattle are among the support being provided by the government to people engaged in the sector.

Live animals and meat along with hides and skins and leather products accounted for about 8 per cent of the country’s total export revenue obtained in 2002 Ethiopian fiscal year, available data indicate.

Meat export, whose contribution to the national export revenue was virtually nil a decade ago, had generated alone an over 115 million dollars during the past five years.

Live animals and meat is shipped mainly to Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Egypt. According to FAO’s 2001 estimates, Ethiopia’s livestock population stood at 72.8 million.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency

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