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Ethiopia is setting ambitious goals to nearly double its meat and meat product exports in the current fiscal year, targeting a total of $141 million worth of exports, equivalent to 38,000 tons of meat products. This ambitious plan was revealed by the Livestock Development Institute, which is spearheading efforts to boost the country’s livestock sector.
Asrat Tera, the Institute’s executive director, highlighted Ethiopia’s immense livestock resources, ranking first in Africa and fifth globally. However, he acknowledged that the country has not been fully capitalizing on this potential due to various challenges, including an inefficient marketing and distribution system and a lack of coordination among slaughterhouses.
“The country’s revenue from the sector has been very low, earning only $1.1 billion from the sector in the past 14 years,” Tera stated. “We have 12 large slaughterhouses with the capacity to export over 200,000 tons of meat annually, but they are currently operating at only 10% of their capacity.”
To address these shortcomings and achieve the ambitious export target, the Institute is implementing a multi-pronged strategy. This includes measures to enhance the quality and volume of animal products, expand international market access, and fully utilize the existing slaughterhouse capacity.
A key component of this strategy is the Yelemat Tirufat initiative, a four-year development program designed to boost animal products. Tera believes this initiative will play a crucial role in increasing livestock sector productivity and overall industry development.
Additionally, Ethiopia is actively expanding its market access to trade animal products at fair prices. Tera mentioned that agreements have been signed with China and other Asian countries this year to import Ethiopia’s animal products.
With these concerted efforts, Ethiopia is poised to significantly enhance its meat and meat product exports, unlocking the vast potential of its livestock sector and contributing to the country’s economic growth.
