End Market Analysis of Ethiopian Livestock and ... - USAID Microlinks

A. END MARKETS BY MEAT TYPE
1. CATTLE AND BEEF
Of the various breeds of cattle found in the Horn, the Boran breed (found in Borena Zone in the Oromiya Region of
Ethiopia) is one of the most prized in the Middle East markets.
The data on beef (volumes and prices) is for boneless beef only. More detailed information on quality and type of
meat (frozen vs. chilled) is not available, so price comparisons should be made carefully. For this reason, the analysis
below focuses primarily on comparing volumes and volume trends.
• Live cattle: In recent years, Yemen has been the major live cattle importer in the region, importing 175,757
head in 2006, though its imports are primarily destined for re-export to GCC member countries with stricter
SPS regulations. (Yemen’s import figures reported by FAOSTAT in 2007 are significantly lower; the reason
for this is unclear.) Saudi Arabia is an important final market for live cattle, with 2007 imports of 58,362 head
and a 2005-07 growth rate of 116 percent. Lebanon and Israel are the region’s leading cattle importers, but
may be a difficult market for Ethiopia to penetrate due to their geographic distance.
• Beef: Egypt is by far the largest market for beef in the region, with imports exceeding 250,000 MT in 2007.
With a growth rate of 68 percent from 2005 to 2007, this market deserves significant attention. Saudi Arabia’s
imports, though far behind Egypt’s at approximately 74,000 MT, are growing at a rate of 90 percent per year
(2005-07) and are also an important target market. The prices paid by Egypt and Saudi Arabia for boneless
beef are the lowest amongst the 20 top beef importers worldwide, reflecting their reliance on low-cost frozen
beef imports from Brazil and India. Israel is the third largest beef importer in the target markets, although
Ethiopian exporters may need to target a niche market there, such as the Ethiopian Jewish (Falasha)
community, in order to gain a foothold.
END MARKET ANALYSIS OF ETHIOPIAN LIVESTOCK AND MEAT 19