South Africa’s chicken importers also make money from export consignments. For good reason, their organisation is called the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE).
But why are they so voluble about chicken imports, but so silent on potentially lucrative exports?
Importers made a noise – lots of noise – warning of an economic and food security crisis when the ban on poultry imports from Brazil threatened their easy pickings from what has been a comfortable and consistent revenue source. They demanded government action – immediate action – to agree with Brazil on chicken exports from provinces not affected by bird flu.
They got that agreement, and now they have welcomed the lifting of the bird flu from all of Brazil. The “crisis”, it seems, has suddenly gone away.
But this was a focus on imports. Not a word about exports, the other half of AMIE’s job.
Chicken exporters were quiet about exports in the five years that the first poultry master plan was in operation. That plan aimed for an exports bonanza, doubling and trebling chicken exports. That didn’t happen, and AMIE had nothing much to say as the dream faded. No demands for urgent government action.
Now the master plan has been revived, with a new focus on exports, from which AMIE’s members could make a lot of money. But where’s AMIE? Where are the demands for government departments to do their job and secure export agreements?
Opportunity beckons. Why the silence?
