Qatar top importer of Dar meat

DODOMA: QATAR is the leading importer of meat from Tanzania by commanding almost 25 per cent of the total export average per year.

Qatar, a country in West Asia, until last month had imported 3,313.57 tonnes generated some 13.6 million US dollars and the number pegged to rise further at the end of this fiscal year.

The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Director of Production and Marketing Development, Mr Stephen Michael, told the ‘Daily News’ on Thursday that Qatar was leading other eleven major countries that import beef from Tanzania.

“We are positive that the amount of beef Qatar has imported up to last month will go almost or beyond 5,111.92 tonnes- what they bought in the last fiscal year,” Mr Michael told ‘Daily News’ from Dodoma.

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He said for the two years consecutive of 2022/23 – 2023/24 a total of 8,425.49 tonnes valued at 34.69 million US Dollars were exported to Qatar.

His list included other countries as Oman followed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He said so far in the 2023/24 fiscal year, Oman followed Qatar by importing 3,381.52 tonnes up from 3,218.51 in the previous year and United Arabs Emirates had 2,377.10 tonnes, down from 2,842.32 last year.

Saudi Arabia imported 905.85 tonnes in 2023/24 down from 1,405.46 tonnes in the previous year and Kuwait had 513.14 tonnes in 2023/24 down from 691.23 in 2022/23.

“These are the top five countries that imported most of our beefs in the last two years valued at over 97.8 million US dollars,” said Mr Michael.

Additionally, Mr Michael said by April, the country earned 56.58 million US dollars after exporting 13,745.38 tonnes of beef. Based on the last two years’ success, Mr Michael said they are projecting that the country’s meat export will increase by 10.6 per cent in the next financial year from 13,745.38 tonnes to 16,450 tonnes.

“This is due to the ongoing efforts done by the government to create a friendly business environment that spur meat export in the recent years,” Mr Michael said.

Due to the export increase, the country is projected to generate some 67.8 million US dollars.

The Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Abdallah Ulega told the Parliament, when moving his 2024/25 budget that the country exported 1,024.33 tonnes of beef, 9,982.67 tonnes of goat meat, 3,195.09 tonnes of sheep meat, 32.35 tonnes of chicken and 10.94 tonnes of pork valued at 56.6 million US dollars compared to 12,243.8 tonnes with the value of 51.9 million US dollars in 2022/23.

The Minister said goat meat leads the exports by 72.6 per cent. Tanzania exports beef to 12 countries namely Bahrain, Comoros, Hong Kong—China, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam.