On the Hoof - Livestock Trade in Darfur

Darfur, for example the camel trade to Libya.Live sheep are Sudan’s most importantlivestock export and the volume of trade hastrebled since the early 1980s, although there is highvariability year on year. See Figure 3. Indeed, theexport of live sheep and goats accounts for morethan 90% of Sudan’s total livestock export earningsaveraged over a number of years. This is followedby the export of live camels, which increasedrapidly in the mid- to late- 1990s as demand forcamel meat increased in Egypt. See Figure 4. Amuch smaller number of live cattle are exported;instead, most are slaughtered within Sudan and themeat is exported. Official statistics on Sudan’s meatexports only date back to 2003, although Sudan hasbeen exporting meat since the 1970s. Beef nowaccounts for approximately 65% of Sudan’s totalmeat exports. See Figure 5.Most of Sudan’s livestock and meat exportsare destined for the Middle East, particularly SaudiArabia, which accounts for over 90% of Sudan’sexport of live sheep and goats. 4 The export of livesheep peaks during the two months prior to theannual Hajj festival. Saudi Arabia is a rapidlygrowing market for meat and for live animals asthe population becomes more urbanized, asincomes rise, and as the immigrant workerpopulation increases (Dirani et al., 2009). TheSaudi market for live animals is estimated to begrowing at a rate of 8% p.a.Although Saudi Arabia is Sudan’s mostimportant export market for livestock, Sudan ismuch less significant to Saudi Arabia. Between1998 and 2009 Sudan accounted for an annualaverage of 24% of Saudi Arabia’s total imports oflive sheep and goats (by value). Between 2000 and2007, Sudan accounted for 18% of Saudi Arabia’stotal imports of mutton (by value). 5 The mainexport market for Sudanese beef has been Jordan,and, since 2010, also Egypt. This reveals Sudan’sexposure to a small number of export markets—three in particular, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, andEgypt. This leaves Sudan highly vulnerable tochanging trade regimes and/or demand withinthose markets. The consequences of such highexposure have been evident on at least twooccasions since the beginning of the 2000s. In2000/01, Saudi Arabia banned the import ofsheep from eight African countries, includingSudan, because of an outbreak of Rift Valley Feverin the southern part of the kingdom. This wasrepeated in 2006/07 because of an outbreak ofviral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). The devastatingimpact on Sudan’s export earnings can be seen inFigure 6. Overall, Sudan is in danger of losing itsshare of the market, in Saudi Arabia in particular,Figure 5. Sudan’s export of meatSource: unpublished data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade4According to unpublished data from the Ministry of ForeignTrade.5According to unpublished data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade.June 2012 • ON THE HOOF: The Livestock Trade In Darfur 17