The opportunity set for South African beef to access more markets via exports, specifically in Asia, is promising, believes Beefmaster Group, one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of specialist beef products to local and global markets.
This follows favourable trade discussions that took place across several countries in Southeast Asia over the last few days. The company, part of the South African business delegation and a guest of the SA government, accompanied President Cyril Ramaphosa and other dignitaries on an official state visit to Vietnam and Malaysia to deepen economic and trade relations in key Asian markets.
“We’ve been coming to Asia for the past four years to open more markets for our products, focusing on Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Reception to South African beef products during this trip has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Louw van Reenen, Executive Chairman of Beefmaster Group, who also attended the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, and is currently in Singapore.
Louw notes the importance of the Asian market for the SA beef industry.
“Our industry is working hard to open these markets, and we’re making good progress. Together, they represent around 700 million people, with rising demand for quality protein products, and many more opportunities likely to follow once access is established. Even securing one of these markets would be a major boost for South Africa’s primary producers, the industry, and the broader economy.”
While Beefmaster Group was approved in the past to export to Malaysia, this was halted due to COVID-19 and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). Beefmaster also applied to export products to Singapore.
“Beefmaster Group aims to be a pioneer in exporting to these high-potential countries,” says van Reenen.
Agriculture has been identified as a key pillar of opportunity for driving South Africa’s economic growth: In his keynote address in Hanoi, Vietnam, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted South Africa’s renowned livestock industry and the potential to build more resilient food supply chains through collaboration. Similarly, South African Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen met with E. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment during the visit to discuss opportunities for South Africa to meet Vietnam’s growing demand for high-quality meat products, including beef, pork, lamb, and exotic meats such as game and ostrich.
Louw van Reenen (Beefmaster Group Chairman) stands with Hoang Sy Cuong (Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the SR of Vietnam to the Republic of SA), at the South African and Vietnam Business Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam.
“We are hopeful that gains will be made following the recent three-nation visit to Southeast Asia, ahead of the G20 Summit taking place in Johannesburg in November,” says van Reenen.
With the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa for the first time, all eyes will be on world leaders to ensure maximum economic opportunity for nations and promote sectors like agriculture that can drive inclusive growth, given the uncertain geopolitical climate.
“We are proud to contribute to these efforts to ensure that all – especially primary producers – benefit from greater trade opportunities. We look forward to unlocking new markets and strengthening South Africa’s position as a trusted supplier of high-quality beef to the world,” concludes van Reenen.
