Photo: Jared C. Benedict

Wal-Mart, Texas.

A TEAM of ASDA, Wal-Mart’s British subsidiary, is on its way to Namibia to secure an suppliers agreement with Meatco for local beef.

ASDA has been sourcing beef from Meatco for the past two years. As part of the trip, the ASDA representatives will also have discussions with local farmers on “further opportunities”, Massmart-Walmart said in a statement.

“ASDA values the business that we have established with the Namibian farming and meat sector and we are looking forward to the opportunities we can develop whilst we are visiting,” said Chris Brown, head of sourcing at ASDA.

The ASDA team will extend their interactions beyond the Meatco factories and into the farming community, of both the commercial and developing farmers, of Namibia. A variety of stakeholders, involved in beef exports from Namibia, will be able to meet the ASDA team to discuss experiences and the challenges and opportunities going forward.

The volume of Namibian beef procured for the delicatessen cooked beef business of ASDA has been growing steadily and the relationship between ASDA and Meatco has developed well, both at a technical and a commercial level.

Meatco and their farmers are looking forward to extending the relationship it has with ASDA whilst exploring further opportunities such as jointly developing new products and extending the partnership for Namibian beef suppliers in a very challenging European marketplace, the statement said.

Currently, the global trade in beef is dominated by South America and, in particular, by a small number of companies with global reach based in Brazil and North America.

“One of the many benefits of having Wal-Mart in Africa has been the opportunity to work with local suppliers in helping them become more competitive by providing them with access to international markets.

For example, IPL, a subsidiary of ASDA, has been working with suppliers in South Africa to export fresh produce and wines to ASDA, Walmart Canada and Walmart Japan,” the statement said.

Massmart-Walmart is aware of the many challenges facing localw and emerging businesses in Africa and aims to continue focusing on including and accommodating local manufacturers and suppliers in its supplier listing, it said.