Ugandan meat processor to export 300 tonnes of beef to Egypt monthly
UGANDA – Pearl Meat Industries, a Uganda-based company, is set to export 300 tonnes of value-added quality meat to Egypt monthly, Ms Edgar Tabaro, a director and shareholder in the meat processor has revealed.
Already, the meat processor located in Migyera in the Nakasongola District has made its second beef export to Egypt, shipping 300 tonnes of beef through the country’s Entebbe International Airport.
“Uganda has 18 million herds of cattle and 8 million herds of goats, therefore, the herds in Uganda are enough to support an operation like the one we are accessing in Cairo,” She said.
“Uganda is positioning itself to capture the Middle Eastern Market of US$100 billion, which is dominated by Brazil and Argentina. The country can so easily capture 10% of that market if and when we scale up our quality.”
She further noted that Pearl Meat Industries has entered into a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines which has availed the capacity required for the operations.
The company had earlier made its inaugural beef exports to Egypt, shipping 20 tonnes of the commodity on July 6, 2023.
Uganda made its first beef export to Egypt in 2018 shipping 50 tonnes which is equivalent to 50,000kgs by the Egypt-Uganda Food Security Company situated north of Kampala in Luweero District.
According to Mr Sherif el-Kallini, the Egypt-Uganda Food Security company CEO, Ugandan meat stands in a better position to navigate through the market because of its high quality.
According to Mr Kalini, the export market is likely to bring in the country about US$ 50 million In foreign exchange annually.
The Ugandan president, Museveni, underscored the need for Uganda to export its beef products, arguing that it would be the preferred choice because it is produced from organically fed livestock.
A report from the Uganda Investment Authority has shown that the Agricultural Sector is the largest source of Uganda‟s export earnings (40% FY 2012/13).
It indicates that Livestock production constitutes an important subsector of Uganda‟s agriculture, contributing about 9% of the Gross Domestic Product.
The sector further accounts for 17 per cent of the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product and is a source of livelihood to about 4.5 million people in the country.
“Uganda‟s beef is ranked 5th best in the world because of its yellow fat that does not contain cholesterol mainly because the cows are naturally grazed. An estimated 90% of the national cattle herd is kept under pastoral and mixed smallholder farming systems,” the report says.
“Commercial beef ranching is limited accounting for less than 10% of the national herd. The main sources of meat are the culled animals and excess steers in the various farming systems.”
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