Namibian beef farmers are in for a big haul as the United States regulators have cleared their beef products for imports into the United States. This gives Namibia access to the world’s biggest beef consumer making Namibia has become the first African country to export red meat to the United States. And this followed close to two decades of negotiations. The Namibian state-owned meat firm Meatco has already sent a shipment of 25 tonnes of beef to Philadelphia over the week, and the Southern African nation is set to export 860 tonnes of various beef cuts in 2020 to the United States, rising to 5,000 tonnes by 2025.

“We’re able to finally export meat to the lucrative and big U.S. market,” Namibia’s minister of international relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said. The United States is the world’s biggest red meat consumer as Americans consume on average 120 kgs of meat per person, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Namibia’s first commercial consignment came after samples were sent in the past 24 months to U.S. laboratories for tests. Negotiations over safety regulations and logistics have spanned 18 years. Under the deal, exports will include boneless, raw beef cuts in frozen or chilled form.

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“Namibia will benefit economically from tapping into the largest consumer market with purchasing power of $13 trillion, and U.S. consumers will benefit from access to Namibia’s high-quality, free-range, grass-fed beef,” U.S. ambassador to Namibia, Lisa Johnson, said. In 2019, Namibia exported about 12,400 metric tonnes of meat to Norway, Britain, the European Union and Chinese markets.

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Agriculture contributes about 5% to Namibia’s economy but farming including cattle raising contributes to nearly two-thirds of the population’s income. Namibia’s exports will also benefit from a duty-free regime under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry