Africa-Press – Namibia. MEATCO was this week awarded Exporter of the Year to the United States for its beef exports. A ceremony to officially award the winners of the first ever Namibia Annual Exporter Awards was held on Thursday, 9 September 2021, in association with the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Namibian Manufacturers Association (NMA).
Meatco’s Chief Executive Officer, Mwilima Mushokabanji, accepted the trophy on behalf of the entire Meatco workforce. “Meatco is an institution that is tasked with a very huge responsibility because we strive to become this big institution that competes globally and as we do that our objective is clear in creating sustainable wealth for all Namibians. We do this by Maximising producer returns and paying competitive prices at all costs,” said Mushokabanji.
He added that Meatco also creates wealth by contributing to employment creation, with the company currently employing 700 staff members. “This needs to be sustained as agriculture is the backbone of the Namibian economy,” Mushokabanji said.
According to Mushokabanji, Meatco saw the opportunity to utilise the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) legislation when in 2002 the Namibian Government sought approval to export beef products into the US.
Meatco used AGOA as a strategic gateway to make the best use of the export market, he explained. At the time, there was no other African country exporting beef to the US market and Meatco became the first African beef exporter to the US market.
To date, Meatco has exported 720 tons into that market, with its eyes set on the high-end user market and a health-conscious market that appreciates quality organic products.
“We are excited and look forward to a long-lasting relationship. We also look forward to producing and beefing up exports into the US Market,” Mushokabanji concluded.
Acting USA Country Representative for Namibia, Mark Anthony White, highlighted that Meatco has proven to be the pioneer in creating the market entry channels for the US, for Namibian beef products. Also awarded was Plastic Packaging for Exporter to the South African Market and Overall Exporter of the Year.
