Botswana’s unused Norwegian beef quota has unlocked about N$100 million for Namibia while ensuring valuable regional market access does not expire.
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana has made part of its unused Norwegian beef export quota available to Namibia, enabling the neighbouring country to unlock an additional N$100 million in projected export earnings.
According to Namibian media outlet The Namibian Economist, the transfer was made under the Southern African Customs Union-European Free Trade Association (SACU-EFTA) arrangement.
The move allowed Namibia’s state-owned Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) to secure an additional 344,766 kilograms of Norwegian beef export quota after exhausting its original allocation by the end of June.
The additional quota is expected to lift the projected value of Meatco’s Norwegian exports for the 2026 calendar year to about N$365 million.
REGIONAL LIFELINE
The transfer ensures that preferential market access available under the SACU-EFTA framework is used rather than allowed to expire.
According to The Namibian Economist, Namibia’s annual Norwegian beef export quota is managed under a Cabinet-approved framework, with Meatco receiving 75 percent of the allocation and Beefcor Namibia receiving the remaining 25 percent.
Meatco exhausted its share by the end of June, around five months earlier than in 2025, when the allocation ran out in November. The governments of Botswana and Namibia then concluded an agreement allowing Namibia to access part of Botswana’s unused quota.
EXPORT GAINS
The arrangement is expected to maximise export earnings within SACU by ensuring the regional quota is fully used before the end of the year.
Meatco Interim Chief Executive Ambassador Albertus Aochamub described the early exhaustion of Namibia’s quota as a major achievement for the country’s beef industry.
“It demonstrates the continued confidence that international customers place in premium Namibian beef. It also reflects Meatco’s stronger commercial execution and our focus on maximizing value from premium export markets,” Aochamub was quoted as saying.
QUOTA SHARED
Aochamub welcomed the bilateral agreement, saying it would allow Meatco to continue supplying Norway and fully use the additional allocation before 31 December.
The quota-sharing arrangement allows SACU member states to reallocate unused preferential quotas to countries where demand and export capacity are strongest.
Norway remains one of Southern Africa’s most valuable premium beef destinations under the SACU-EFTA trade agreement. The latest allocation is expected to strengthen trade ties between Botswana and Namibia while keeping the value of the quota within the region.