Qatar leads as top importer of Tanzanian meat amid rising export figures

TANZANIA – Qatar is currently the leading importer of Tanzanian meat, commanding nearly 25% of the country’s total meat exports annually.

As of April 2024, Qatar had imported 3,313.57 tonnes of meat from Tanzania, generating approximately US$13.6M in revenue – the figure is expected to rise further by the end of the fiscal year.

The Director of Production and Marketing Development at the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Stephen Michael, reported that Qatar is leading among twelve major countries importing Tanzanian beef.

He expressed optimism that Qatar’s beef imports could reach or surpass 5,111.92 tonnes, the volume they imported in the last fiscal year.

In the past two consecutive fiscal years of 2022/23 and 2023/24, Tanzania exported a total of 8,425.49 tonnes of beef to Qatar, valued at US$34.6M.

Other notable importers include Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Michael noted that in the current fiscal year, Oman has imported 3,381.52 tonnes, up from 3,218.51 tonnes the previous year, while the United Arab Emirates imported 2,377.10 tonnes, down from 2,842.32 tonnes last year.

Saudi Arabia’s imports decreased to 905.85 tonnes from 1,405.46 tonnes in the previous year, and Kuwait imported 513.14 tonnes, down from 691.23 tonnes in 2022/23.

These top five countries have collectively imported beef valued at over $97.8 million in the last two years.

By April this year, Tanzania had earned US$56.58m from exporting 13,745.38 tonnes of beef. Based on the recent successes, Michael projects a 10.6% increase in meat exports for the next financial year, estimating that exports will rise from 13,745.38 tonnes to 16,450 tonnes.

This increase is attributed to government efforts to create a business-friendly environment that has spurred meat exports.

The country expects to generate around US$67.8M from these increased exports.

Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Abdallah Ulega, informed Parliament that in the 2024/25 budget, Tanzania exported various types of meat including 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, collectively valued at US$56.6M.

This is an increase from 12,243.8 tonnes valued at US$51.9M in 2022/23.

Goat meat leads Tanzania’s meat exports, comprising 72.6% of the total.

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