28 August 2023
By: Charl van Rooyen
The doors are opening for high-quality South African agricultural products, thanks to the announcement that China and Saudi Arabia are once again accepting red meat from the southern tip of Africa.
The Wagyu Society and Certified South African Wagyu Beef have recently returned after exhibiting at the Hong Kong Food Expo. This was the first time a South African breed society had attended this major expo on behalf of its members.
They were represented by Fritz Bezuidenhout, director of Certified Wagyu Beef (CWB), and Elandri de Bruyn, executive head of the society and CWB. They were accompanied by the two largest Wagyu beef suppliers, Protea Reserve Wagyu represented by Deja Nienaber and Andries Schutte, and Karoo Wagyu, represented by Nelson Wong.
The goal was to assist members in exporting Wagyu beef, as export is one of the main objectives of the organisation, and Elandri says they received wholehearted logistical support from Red Meat Industry Services.
She says other countries’ agricultural sectors were strongly represented at the expo, but Wagyu and CWB were the only South Africans.
Fritz says he and his team not only received many inquiries about Wagyu beef but also about other agricultural products such as goat meat and rooibos tea.
“We will definitely convey the message to those sectors. Foreigners emphasised the high quality of these products but mentioned they struggle to get hold of them. There is also an opportunity to better market our wines at such expos,” he said.
Space for smaller farmers
Elandri says even though large quantities of products are managed by big enterprises, there’s ample space for smaller producers since certain buyers are looking for products that meet their customers’ preferences, such as specific meat cuts. They also often want smaller quantities and are willing to pay a premium for them.
Fritz adds that the traditional bulk purchase has changed. The focus is now more on specific products across a broader spectrum, such as certain cuts within a carcass.
For the collective marketing of South African agricultural products, a marketing channel is necessary, and the Wagyu Society and CWB are considering collaboration across industries. This topic will also be under scrutiny at the Wagyu conference on September 8 in Franschhoek.
“In terms of the future, there are certain important things deserving attention, such as the fact that the mindset in South Africa lags behind international standards,” says Fritz.
“We need to pool our efforts to collectively market our best agricultural products. We shouldn’t wait for representative organisations and large businesses to do it on our behalf. We should take the lead ourselves to export and thereby improve our profitability.”
Fritz and Elandri spent 10 days in Hong Kong and received a multitude of visits, even though their stall was relatively small compared to the large pavilions set up by other countries.
Fritz says the direct contact with major and minor buyers and others involved in the food industry was invaluable; from people with restaurants and butcher shops to distributors of red meat and agents making purchases.
Elandri mentions that because they were representing their organisations, they couldn’t take orders, but they had many valuable conversations. Protea Wagyu and Karoo Wagyu were able to negotiate exports directly.
Their message to the South African agricultural sector and farmers is that there’s a substantial international market for their products abroad, where buyers appreciate the exceptional quality of South African meat. Now that the markets for red meat in the East and Middle East are open again, the opportunity should be fully seized.
The announcement during the Brics summit that China and Saudi Arabia are specifically open again for red meat couldn’t have come at a better time. Those world regions are now satisfied with South Africa’s handling of foot-and-mouth disease, which suppressed exports for years.
“We want to encourage our growers to continue investing in Wagyu because there’s significant demand for our meat,” says Fritz.
