The recently held Gulfood Trade Show 2019, which took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, saw the reopening of beef trade between South Africa and the Middle East.

The Gulfood Trade Show places emphasis on Halaal-certified food products in the Middle East, attracting approximately 90, 000 visitors yearly.

Statistics South Africa revealed in March that the economy only grew by 0.8% in 2018, compared to the 1,4% growth experienced in 2017. Emphasis is being placed on the need for South Africa to unlock key ways for the economy to bounce back. One such way is to focus on developing and improving South Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy.

According to Roelie van Reenen, supply chain executive at Beefmaster, producer of beef products in South Africa.“It is therefore vital that all industry players work together in identifying these opportunities.’’ Reenen added that “The show enabled us to nurture our existing relationships in the Middle East, resulting in us being able to once again export more than 300 tonnes of red meat to these countries.”

Re-establishing beef trade

Progress made at the Gulfood Trade Show included strengthened relations between the Beefmaster Group of Companies and Middle Eastern territories, such as Qatar, Jordan, and many others.

Van Reenen said that this is good news for local beef producers as the re-established beef trade will maintain local beef prices.