July 16, 2010
Australian red meat exports to Middle East grow in 2009-10
Red meat exports from Australia to the Middle East region performed strongly during the 2009-10 financial year, with beef volumes up 40% to 19,423 tonnes, lamb up 10% to 33,410 tonnes, and mutton back only 5% to 46,202 tonnes.
Beef exports have benefited from increased demand for topsides, thick flank and knuckle.
The timing of Ramadan this year (August 11) and the resultant adjustment to school holidays have combined to create a 'mini' expatriate exodus. This has directly impacted on retail and hotel occupancy levels in the region resulting in a challenging trading month for June 2010. A more conservative approach by many importers with Ramadan ordering patterns has also impacted on the June import levels.
Volumes for June saw lamb down 12% on last year, mutton losing 45%, while beef continued its rise, growing by 57%.
Beef benefited from increases to Egypt (up 346%; 130 tonnes to 578 tonnes); the UAE (up 69%; 308 tonnes to 523 tonnes); Jordan (up 121%; 73 tonnes to 161 tonnes) and Bahrain up by 1,066% from five tonnes to 53 tonnes.
