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

ETHIOPIAN MARKET SHARE
From July 2005 to June 2006, Ethiopia exported approximately 57,000 live animals to Yemen. This accounts for
approximately 35 percent of Ethiopia’s total live animal export during this period. Meat exports were under 400 MT,
however, and accounted for less than 5 percent of Ethiopia’s meat exports during this period. 73 Yemeni traders often
travel to Ethiopia and purchase directly in livestock markets, paying partly in USD and partly in ETB.
SPS/HEALTH STANDARDS
Unlike GCC countries, Yemen recognizes Ethiopia’s health certification systems and does not require Ethiopian
livestock to be re-quarantined in Djibouti. Yemen suffered from an RVF outbreak in 2000, but currently the country’s
major concern is the high incidence of Cysticercus Bovis in cattle. 74
6. KUWAIT
MARKET OVERVIEW: SHOATS AND SHOAT MEAT
Kuwait is the world’s third largest importer of live sheep after Saudi Arabia and Italy, with estimated imports of
1,222,745 live head, at an average price of $71 per head, in 2007. The majority of these sheep are sourced from
Australia. At least one Kuwaiti company owns five livestock transporting vessels that it uses to transport sheep from
Australia for the Kuwait market as well as other Gulf states. 75
As in most Gulf markets, there is a strong preference for fresh meat. For customers who cannot afford freshly
slaughtered sheep Kuwait imports increasing volumes of sheep meat, with imports totaling 13,179 MT in 2007.
MARKET OVERVIEW: CATTLE AND BEEF
Kuwait also imports beef for its restaurants, food processing industry and retail. Frozen lean beef is imported from
Australia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.
ETHIOPIAN MARKET SHARE
Ethiopia does not currently export meat to Kuwait, but various Kuwaiti companies expressed interest in sourcing
meat from Ethiopia as they complained of food price inflation. In particular, there is a market for 8-14 kg shoat
carcasses and frozen beef—primarily fore quarter.
7. BAHRAIN, OMAN AND QATAR
These three countries are major sheep importers—Qatar with 507,200 head at $98/head, Oman with 430,260 head at
$87/head, and Bahrain with 108,896 head at $60/head in 2007.
Bahrain meets 85-90 percent of its meat requirements through live animal imports, with the balance met primarily
through frozen meat. A public enterprise, the Bahrain Livestock Company, manages all live animal imports and sales
to domestic traders. The Government fixes the retail price of meat (approximately $2.65/kg in May 2008), subsidizing
the difference between the actual import price and the set retail price.
ETHIOPIAN MARKET SHARE
A significant proportion of the beef sold in Bahrain comes from cattle imported from Djibouti (formally) and Berbera
(informally). Some of this is Ethiopian cattle, although it is difficult to determine exact numbers (COMTRADE
73 Belachew Hurissa 2006: p. 3
74 Ibid, p. 7
75 Belachew Hurissa 2008: p. 8
END MARKET ANALYSIS OF ETHIOPIAN LIVESTOCK AND MEAT 27