Uganda to export 300 tonnes of beef to Egypt monthly
The first batch of beef from pearl meat industries was exported to Egypt on Ethiopian Airlines last week. Photo | Eve Muganga.
What you need to know:
- Mr Edgar Tabaro, a director and shareholder in Pearl Meat Industries, hailed the development as a milestone in the beef industry in Uganda
Uganda made its inaugural beef export to Egypt, shipping 20 tonnes of the commodity through Entebbe International Airport on Thursday, July 6, 2023. The consignment, which is equivalent to 20,000 kilogrammes, was the first batch from Pearl Meat Industries located in Migyera in the Nakasongola District.
Mr Edgar Tabaro, a director and shareholder in Pearl Meat Industries, said they will be exporting 300 tonnes of beef every month and hailed the development as a milestone in the beef industry in Uganda.
“We shall be exporting 300 tonnes of value-added quality meat. Uganda has 18 million head of cattle and 8 million head of goats, therefore, the herds in Uganda are enough to support an operation like the one we are accessing in Cairo,” he said.
He added: “Uganda is positioning itself to capture the Middle Eastern market of 100 billion USD, which is dominated by Brazil and Argentina. Uganda can so easily capture 10 per cent of that market if and when we scale up our quality. Egypt, Jordan, UAE, and Saudi Arabia have certified the abattoir and cleared the meat for export.”
He further noted that Pearl Meat Industries has entered into a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines which has availed the capacity required for the operation.
Mr Emmanuel Barungi, the General Manager - Entebbe International Airport said the development was a major landmark in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
“Entebbe International Airport is ready to facilitate this using the cold storage facilities and ground handling services to ensure the safety of the products so that they meet the expected international standards,” he said.
Mr Wai Dagash, the CEO of Jetfresh Cargo which deals in meat exportation said: “We have been called into Uganda to assist 12 meat industries in getting this job done right in terms of operations and that is the reason we are here to witness the inaugural flight to Egypt carrying 20 tonnes. We have been exporting Ugandan meat to Qatar and our next target market is Saudi Arabia.”
