Beef exporters to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can breathe a sigh of relief following the lifting of the ban on red meat products from South Africa, following satisfaction by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority on compliance with market access protocols and halaal certification.
Gerhard Schutte, chief executive officer of the national Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), said the lifting of the ban is great news for them.
“In the red meat industry, we have a vision 2030. A very fresh vision where we want to grow export from 5% of local production for beef to 20% on a very inclusive basis, taking the emerging sector into account, and we want to grow the export of sheep from 1% of local production to 6%,” he said.
Very good news
“After the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, we are back to about 28 countries, exporting red meat, and it is very good news. We have always wanted to be in the markets where they are consumers, and we believe that the per capita income in Saudi Arabia is huge in the whole world, there will be good buying power,” he said.
Schutte said while they were enjoying good growth in other markets, it was not the case in South Africa, especially after Covid-19 which resulted in the country’s economy shrinking and many people losing their jobs.
Time to capitalise
“We cannot rely only on the local market, otherwise our farmers will just not make it. We already had a 20% drop in producer prices of red meat this year, so this is a great opportunity to extend export and we are proud of our government for helping us reach this point,” he said.
Department of trade, industry, and competition spokesperson Bongani Lukhele said following a state visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa and ministers Thoko Didiza and Ebrahim Patel, a task team from both sides was formed to address the concerns raised that led to the banning of products.
Lukhele said Minister Patel was pleased with the outcome and South Africa needed to take advantage of the market.
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South Africa’s strong presence
“The halaal meat market globally is huge. South Africa already has a strong presence in markets like the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. The Saudi market is valued at over $5 billion.
“South Africa offers a premium quality meat product, and we look forward to exporting our meat products. We will work with industry and retailers through store promotions and exhibiting at upcoming events in Saudi Arabia,” Patel said.
He added that the real work is starting now and he believes that South Africa is ready for delivering to the Saudi Arabian market.
“We would like to thank the meat industry and halaal authorities working in partnership with the government in achieving this outcome,” he said.
Didiza hopes poultry is next
Meanwhile, Didiza said this achievement did not come easily. It was the result of a lot of meetings and preparations that the team put in.
“The fact that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia granted us this market access soon after their audit attests to the safety of our beef, our intact biosecurity as well as the compliant state of our abattoirs and feedlots.
“We are hoping to also have the kingdom of Saudi Arabia also grant access to our poultry meat, which they’re still assessing,” Didiza said.
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