Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA has secured an additional Norwegian beef quota, which is expected to generate approximately N$100 million in additional revenue, bringing the combined projected value of Meatco’s Norwegian exports for the 2026 calendar year to approximately N$365 million.
The announcement was made by Meatco, which explained that the additional allocation follows Namibia’s successful utilisation of the 2026 Norwegian beef export quota allocated to the corporation by the end of June.
“Namibia has fully utilised the 2026 Norwegian beef export quota allocated to the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) by the end of June, approximately five months earlier than in 2025, when the quota was only fully utilised during November. The achievement is expected to generate approximately N$265 million in premium export earnings from Meatco’s initial allocation. Following the successful utilisation of the quota, Namibia secured an additional 344,766 kilograms through a government-to-government arrangement with Botswana under the Southern African Customs Union–European Free Trade Association (SACU–EFTA) quota-sharing framework. The additional allocation is expected to generate a further approximately N$100 million, bringing the combined projected value of Meatco’s Norwegian exports during the 2026 calendar year to approximately N$365 million,” Meatco explained.
The corporation explained that, in terms of Namibia’s Cabinet-approved quota management framework, the country’s annual Norwegian beef quota is allocated between Meatco (75%) and Beefcor (25%). After Meatco fully utilised its allocated portion, the corporation explained, the Governments of Namibia and Botswana entered into an arrangement under the SACU–EFTA framework to enable Namibia to access part of Botswana’s unused Norwegian beef quota.
According to Meatco, Botswana made 459,688 kilograms of its remaining quota available, of which 344,766 kilograms was allocated to Meatco in line with Namibia’s quota-sharing formula.
Meatco confirmed that it plans to fully utilise the additional allocation before 31 December 2026.
“Fully utilising our Norwegian quota by June is a significant milestone for Namibia’s beef industry and demonstrates the continued confidence that international customers place in premium Namibian beef. It also reflects Meatco’s stronger commercial execution and our focus on maximising value from premium export markets. We welcome the agreement between the Governments of Namibia and Botswana, which enables Namibia to further benefit from this important market, and we are committed to fully utilising the additional allocation before 31 December 2026,” Meatco Interim Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Albertus Aochamub said.
The corporation explained that the milestone underscores Meatco’s continued focus on improving commercial performance, maximising value from premium export markets and strengthening returns for Namibian livestock producers.
“It also reflects growing international demand for premium Namibian beef, strengthened customer confidence and continued improvements in Meatco’s commercial execution and market development, despite weaker market returns in both the European Union (EU) and South African (SA) markets,” Meatco added.
