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

The lack of detail on meat types (chilled vs. frozen, bone-in vs. boneless, etc.) makes it difficult to compare price data
across countries and over time; therefore, more attention is given below to data and trends in meat volumes rather
than prices.
SHEEP AND MUTTON/LAMB
• Live sheep: The Middle East boasts nine out of the world’s 20 largest importers of live sheep, yet live sheep
imports appear to be declining as they are replaced by imports of mutton and lamb, as described below. Over
the last three years, live sheep imports have decreased in nearly every country. However, for Saudi Arabia,
this apparent decline is due to 2005 being a year of record imports. Over the longer term, between 2000 and
2007, live sheep imports into Saudi Arabia grew by 18 percent despite an important drop in 2001. The
country is by far the largest market for live sheep in the world, with over 4.9 million sheep imported in 2007.
This is due in part to the fact that Saudi Arabia hosts the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Kuwait is also
major market for live sheep, as are Qatar, Oman, Jordan and South Africa, albeit on a smaller scale.
• Mutton/lamb: In contrast to live sheep, sheep meat imports grew in most countries over the 2005-07
period. Kuwait, South Africa and the UAE, all of which experienced a decline in live sheep imports, saw an
important rise in mutton and lamb imports. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the most important markets, at
58,500 MT and 26,800 MT respectively, but the Saudi market is contracting slightly (-2 percent over 2005-07),
while the UAE market is growing at a rate of 28 percent. Part of the reason for the UAE’s growth is its
position as a meat re-exporter to other Gulf countries.
Table 4: Major Sheep and Sheep Meat Importers, 2007, and Recent Trends (2005-2007)
Live Sheep Sheep Meat
Head Price/head Rank Trend Vol
(MT)
Price/MT Rank Trend
Saudi
Arabia
4,910,578 $89 1 -19% 58,478 $2,894 5 -2%
UAE 208,219 $70 14 -61% 31,106 $3,567 9 28%
Kuwait 1,222,745 $71 3 -36% 13,179 $2,721 16 48%
Qatar 507,200 $98 5 -9%
Oman 430,260 $87 9 9%
Bahrain 108,896 $60 19 -81%
Jordan 469,286 $48 7 -18% 12,259 $2,284 18 -3%
Lebanon 211,971 $68 13 -4%
Syria 138,202 $56 18 296%
South
Africa*
500,000 $38 6 -36% 28,353 $1,164 10 24%
Source: FAOSTAT
* Figure includes FAO estimates
Note: longer-term trends for Bahrain and Syria are not as drastic as this table suggests, as 2005 was an unusually high year for
sheep imports for Bahrain and an unusually low year for Syria.
GOATS AND GOAT MEAT:
• Live goats: Saudi Arabia and Yemen are by far the largest importers of live goats in the region, and both
markets are growing at a rapid pace (126 percent and 44 percent respectively between 2005 and 2007).
However, the average price per head paid by the Yemeni market ($26) is far lower than in Saudi Arabia ($54),
the UAE ($83) or Qatar and Jordan ($93).
END MARKET ANALYSIS OF ETHIOPIAN LIVESTOCK AND MEAT 21