Cape Town - The 3 500 tonne shipment of beef from Botswana expected to hit the South African meat market will be a boon to consumers but may not have SA beef producers jumping for joy.
The Red Meat Producers' Organisation maintains that the imports will have a "drastic impact" on local producers, according to a report by
Financial Mail.
"It is good news for local consumers," FM quotes the organisation's CEO Gerhard Schutte as saying.
"Greater supply will obviously bring down prices."
Although regional Southern African Development Community agreements allow for unlimited beef imports to SA, Botswana beef prices will be closely monitored.
Schutte said his organisation has put measures in place to make sure no dumping occurs.
The fact that production costs in Botswana are lower than those of SA is an "issue of competition", said Schutte.
Botswana's meat trade with the European Union has been hit by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, while the sluggish global economy and exchange fluctuations have also played their part.
- Fin24
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