Abstract:
This annex describes production of cattle for human consumption including
livestock markets, finishing, slaughtering and processing facilities, and
distribution to domestic, institutional and export markets.
An assessment of the demand for meat and meat products in rural, urban and
export markets including institutional and domestic consumers precedes the:
analysis of supply.
The section on production examines the potential for meat production from cattle
reared in the highlands for draft and milk production and from the extensive
grazing and nomadic system of the lowlands.
Livestock marketing systems including the role of traders, village, regional and
central markets are examined, as is the significance of treking, motorised and
rail transport in collecting livestock for finishing and slaughtering or for
live export.
Slaughter in Ethiopia is the responsibility of farmers for rural consumption, of
municipalities for urban consumption, and of meat processing plants for export
of frozen meat, with trimmings and lower grade cuts used for meat processing.
Meat processing in the context of this report has been limited to discussion of
the previously privately and often expatriate owned meat plants which have been
nationalised since 1974.
Distribution covers the transport, wholesaling and retailing of meat to
domestic, institutional and export markets.
The growth of a specialised meat industry in Ethiopia is dependant on the
relationship between arable and dairy farming, both of which take priority over
meat production in the highland areas. In the lowland regions meat production
is a by-product of the nomadic way of life. The rate at which meat animals
enter the market will be dependant on the growth of the purchasing power of the
urban communities, and the desire of farmers, both static and nomadic, for more
consumer goods.