New markets interested in local beef

A delegation from Norway and Sweden, led by Gunnar Dalen and Robin Ekström, will meet with the Meat Board of Namibia next week over trade relations and to explore new market opportunities.
Norway, Sweden and Iran have expressed interest in Namibian meat.
Willem Schutz, manager of information systems at the Meat Board, said that the visit is aimed at establishing trade relations between Iran and Sweden, and further strengthening trade relations with Norway.
According to the Meat Board, the visit comes in the backdrop of international players having marked a need for environment-friendly, naturally produced meat, which Namibia offers.
“While Namibia has the production environment and systems to fulfil the need, Namibia unfortunately does not have the necessary provision of cattle for slaughtering. It is important for the future and the sustainability of the Namibian meat industry that the local abattoir capacity be supported in order to create diversification opportunities from current markets.”
Schutz said that Norway has indicated that they will brief the Meat Board on their markets, looking at the 2011 production year as well as outlook for 2012. “They further indicated that they would like to discuss challenges and possible solutions. The topic of increased quota to Norway will also be discussed,” he added.
The Norwegian delegation will be led by Gunnar Dalen from Nortura.
Discussions with the Swedish delegation will focus on matters of export, customs, quality and type of beef that is most common in Namibia amongst others. The delegation will be led by Robin Ekström from the Swedish Trade Council together with Afram Impex.
Regarding Iran’s interest in Namibian meat, Schutz said “presently Iran only wrote a memo requesting that trade relations be established. We invited them to visit so this meeting must still be planned. We are presently at the stage of sharing data and exploring opportunities.”
“In all three meetings, we aim to either establish or strengthen our trade relationships and increase our marketing opportunities to lucrative markets,” he said.
The meeting with the Swedish delegation will be on 12 March and Norway on 16 March.