October 2, 2014

Russia eyes Zimbabwe beef

Russia, which has banned meat imports from the US and the EU, plans to tap Zimbabwe as a source of meat, particularly beef.

Earlier it was reported that Russia would be importing pork from China, with the initial shipment scheduled before the year ends.

Zibabwe's agriculture minister, Joseph Made, said that Russia would soon send a technical team to Harare to study the southern African country's beef export system, adding that Russia would explore other foodstuffs that could also be possibly imported.

"We will be signing an MOU with the agricultural ministry of Russia," he was quoted as saying.

Made also said Russia offered technical assistance that would help Zimbabwe produce good-quality beef.

He said this was timely since his government is finalizing a national livestock production strategy, which looks at other countries in southern Africa, the EU and the Far East as possible markets.

He said, though, that the government must first address the relatively high cost of meat production in Zimbabwe, which could erode the country's competitiveness. "We need to supply our meat at affordable prices; I urge the government to address this issue before embarking on major exports," he said.