Namibia returns from FILDA Exhibition

17 Sep 2015

Delegates from the Namibian meat industry and the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development travelled to Angola to participate at the Feira Internacional de Luanda (FILDA) Exhibition that took place from 21 to 26 July.

Meatco was also represented at the event under the umbrella of the Meat Board. We spoke to the Executive for Local Markets and Value Addition Cyprianus Khaiseb, about the trip to Angola and his thoughts on the exhibition.

Filda Exhibition 2

Travelling with Cyprianus, was the Executive for Quality Assurance Rosa Katjivena. Together they not only networked with people from Angola and other countries but – most importantly – marketed Meatco and its products.

“We visited several places and could do a lot of market research. We also did price comparisons between Meatco’s products and that which is available in Angola,” Cyprianus said.

FILDA Expo 2

They approached their research based on the quality of beef, consistency and the proximity of Namibia to its markets. According to Cyprianus, prices have generally increased since their visits in 2008 and in 2010. They noted that there is scope for Meatco products in the Angolan market, in particular for corned beef that can serve the lower end of the market.

“Comparisons are often made between buffalo meat which is mostly imported from India and beef, so we must continuously educate consumers that these are not the same products,” Cyprianus said.

FILDA Expo 1

“We met with many companies and individuals who were very interested in Meatco and our products. However, our strategy is to identify two or three partners to develop long-term affiliations with in future.”

“Most of the people we met with were very engaging and we are eager to see how it develops. Meatco is grateful to the Namibian Embassy in Luanda for all their efforts, in particular arranging and hosting a braai on 25 July. It was a huge success and made a great impact,” Cyprianus said.

Filda Exhibition 1

Cyprianus and Rosa recommend that Meatco enters the Angolan market with our corned beef, followed by our frozen and chilled beef products.