Countries in the Middle East are the largest destinations of Ethiopia’s meat export—Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates standing at the forefront. Figures speak more in this regard. Over 95 percent of the meat export targets the two countries. Goat and sheep’s muttons take the largest slice of the export, 90 percent, according to Ethiopian Meat Producers Exporters Association (EMPEA). No need for mental gymnastics to understand the mismatch between the livestock population of the country and the export earnings.
Now that the government aims more export earning, modern animal raring has received increasing attention. The Ethiopian Livestock Master Plan (2015/16-2019/20), has it that the government plans to reach meat produce to as big as 1,933,000 tons by the year 2020. The plan period is nearly concluded. Though a comprehensive report on the attainment of the plan is yet to be compiled, Ministry of Agriculture told The Ethiopian Herald that significant progress has been registered over the plan period.
Improvement of animal health and feeding, and implementing a genetic recording scheme are among the methods to “hit” the target. The plan also envisaged to increase the herd size, number of fattening cycles and fattening units in the specialized cattle feedlots and increase the total number of animals passing through the commercial feedlot operations to 3.1 million and 6.7 million, by 2020 and 2028 respectively.
The objective is to achieve this by expanding the production capacity of the specialized cattle feedlots to 368,305 tons of beef by 2020. EMPEA Secretary Abebaw Mekonnen stated that meat export earning stood at 103.3 million USD last year and the earnings could boost meaningfully if the hurdles could be tackled. “Our ability to produce and to export is higher than that. We exported forty percent of our potential. It is possible to do even more.”
The government has set plenty of incentive for those who show interest to work and grow. ‘We also encourage already established livestock producers to think big and start value addition schemes to benefit themselves and the nation in general, Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Industry Development Institute Director General, Haileselassie Weres said.
To him, the Ethiopian government established Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Industry Development Institute to upgrade the technological use of the sector mandated to focus on livestock products value addition along the whole livestock value chain, research, market linkage, technology transfer, capacity building of private investment facilitate logistics, investment promotion, environment and overall facilitation to make meat, dairy, honey and wax, fish and animal feed industry competitive in both global and local markets.
To tackle the challenge, the government develops a series five-year master plan for the key livestock value chains and production systems within each value chain. “The second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II), 2015/16-2019/20, is expected to raise the annual meat production by a significant level at the fifth year of the GTP II and it is planned to get 374.1 million USD from the exports of mainly meat and other livestock products”, he indicated.
Acting Director of Meat, Hide and Skin Directorate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Melake Assefa, stated that the Ministry and other stakeholders work to achieve the goals of the five year plan by improving the supply of animal feed to increase the productivity of animals; keeping the health of animals by sticking to prevention strategy; and cross breeding improved animals with others to upsurge meat production.
The bulk of the livestock resources are found in pastoral areas, he said, noting that the government gives special attention for the areas. “There are permanent and mobile veterinarians engaged in medical treatment.” To him, the absence of breeding policy was one of the hurdles. But now, animal Breeding Policy and Strategy is already approved. The policy address breeding system, identifying improved animals and etc. “Currently, we’re introducing the policy to the relevant stakeholders to implement the policy.”
The Ethiopian Herald May 17/2019
BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED
