Louw van Reenen, executive chairman of the Beefmaster Group, was part of an official South African delegation to Vietnam and Malaysia this past week to strengthen economic and trade relations in key Asian markets.
By Joanie Bergh, journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
President Cyril Ramaphosa was on a two-day state visit to Vietnam, accompanied by several ministers, including Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen. They also attended the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In a speech delivered in Hanoi, President Ramaphosa said there were key opportunities for cooperation between South Africa and Vietnam, highlighting investment prospects in agriculture and agro-processing. “Together, we can build resilient food supply chains, foster technology transfer in agro-processing and expand our mutual exports into new markets,” he said.
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Working to Open New Markets for South African Meat
Speaking from Singapore, Van Reenen said South African beef products were “overwhelmingly well received” during the visit.
He stressed the importance of the Asian market for South Africa’s beef industry, noting that the Beefmaster Group has been engaging with Asia for the past four years to gain access to more export destinations. The company is currently focusing on Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Although the Beefmaster Group had previously been approved to export to Malaysia, exports were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The company also applied in 2022 to export products to Singapore.
“Our application to export to Malaysia was approved. We first applied in 2021, but had to stop in 2022 due to the FMD outbreak. We also applied in 2022 to export to Singapore, and we hope this visit will help speed up that process,” he said.
Van Reenen added that the Beefmaster Group aimed to be a pioneer in exporting to these high-potential markets. “Our industry is working hard to open these markets, and we’re making good progress. Together, this region represents about 700 million people. Once access is secured, many more opportunities are likely to follow. Even gaining access to one of these markets will be a major boost for South Africa’s primary producers, the industry and the broader economy.
“We are proud to contribute to these efforts to ensure that everyone – especially primary producers – benefits from greater trade opportunities in an uncertain environment. We look forward to opening new markets and strengthening South Africa’s position as a reliable supplier of high-quality beef to the world.”
Steenhuisen met with Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Vietnam’s deputy minister of agriculture and environment, to discuss opportunities for South Africa to meet Vietnam’s growing demand for high-quality meat products, including beef, pork, lamb, and exotic meats such as venison and ostrich.
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