Namibia has become the first African country to export red meat to the united states following 20 years of negotiation concerning safety regulations and logistics. This South African nation is known for its free-range, organic beef.
The united states rank high in the world for red meat consumers per head.one American can consume an average of 120 kilograms of meat. Thus making red meat export to the country very essential.
Namibia first consignment
Namibia’s first marketable shipment came after samples were sent to the US. The samples were sent 2 years ago for laboratory tests. Safety regulation and logistics negotiation took 18 years. The deal will include boneless, raw beef cuts in frozen or chilled form. She sent 25 tons of beef to Philadelphia.
Therefore, the country is set to export 860m tons of beef cuts variety in this year alone. By 2025, it will rise to 5,000 tons.
Officials who witnessed the event
Among the high government officials who witnessed the first of its kind event was Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. She is also the minister of International Relations.
Namibia’s minister of international relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said, “we are finally able to export meat to the lucrative U.S market.
Benefits
“Namibia will grow economically from tapping into the biggest consumer market”, said Lisa Johnson, American ambassador to Namibia.
This will be a very great deal for the South African nation. The nation will be able to gain power over other African countries.
People will have better facilities and infrastructure. Therefore, this would mean better healthcare and in turn, increased productivity.
The country will have the advantage of a duty-free regime under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This will, in turn, improve the economic relations between the United States and the region.
The united states will also benefit from Namibia’s high quality, grass-fed beef. The two will enjoy the goodness of the deal that they have just signed.
However, Namibia already exports meat to the European Union, Norway, Britain, and Chinese markets. the state-owned Meat Corporation of Namibia(MeatCo) will be responsible for the production and shipment of the beef cuts.
Agriculture contributes about 5% to Namibia’s economy but cattle raising offers to nearly two-thirds of the population revenue.
In conclusion, the Namibia-U. S deal can be put down in history books as the African country becomes the first from Africa to export beef to a superpower country.
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