Ethiopia: Meat Processing Plant Flourishes
By Berhane Hailemariam
Frigorifico Boran Foods Plc, a subsidiary of Allana Group, has finally received an authentication certificate from the Ministry of Livestock Development & Fisheries to export processed meat from its recently built abattoir plant at Adami Tulu, 170km from Addis Abeba.
Sprawled on 75ha of land, the plant was erected with an investment capital of 1.8 billion Birr. It has a capacity of slaughtering 3,000 cattle and 6,000 sheep and goats daily upon operating at full capacity, enabling the company to produce 300 tonnes of meat a day.
The construction of the abattoir, which involved more than 22 local and 20 foreign contractors in various lines of work, took more than two and a half years, delaying by more than six months.
Incapability of the local contractors, design change, foreign exchange shortages and the long process of importing the slaughtering machinery, were the major reasons for the delay of the project, according to managers of the company.
The plant is said to be the first of its kind in Africa. The company has already a presence in more than 70 countries, which makes it one of the leading meat processing industries in the world.
More than 80pc of the meat will be exported to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, generating more than one million dollars daily for the country, according to Gidey Gebremedihin, director of the plant.
“Also, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Seychelles and China are countries that have showed an interest in importing our product,” said the director.
The plant has created job opportunity for 200 people, of which 25 were taken to India for six months of training. The company also plans to increase this figure by 10 fold when the business starts to operate at its full capacity.
The abattoir will be an addition to the company that has the same type of abattoir in Modjo, 73km from the capital, with a potential of producing 30tn of meat daily.
Allana Group bought its plant at Modjo from Turkish investors two years ago. It invested close to half a billion Birr to upgrade the plant and install rendering machinery, enabling it to produce fodder for poultries and domestic animals as well as inputs for soap factories. It also engages in abattoir services.
Besides its investment in Ethiopia, the 152 year-old company headquartered in India has the same investment in Tanzania.
Ethiopia is home to more than 56 million cattle, becoming among the top 10 nations in the world. Currently, there are more than 116 local and 70 foreign owned abattoirs in the country, exporting 95 million dollars’ worth of meat products in the past fiscal year alone.
