JEDDAH, 8 January 2007 — Saudi Arabia has lifted a two-decade ban on livestock imports from Sudan and the move is likely to reduce the prices of red meat in the Kingdom, market sources said yesterday.
Fuad Al-Sulaimani, a consultant of Al-Mukairish Company, said that the lifting of the ban on Sudanese cattle would be a boon for the local market considering the Kingdom’s proximity to that country. Shipments by sea from Port Sudan to Jeddah take only 24 hours.
The existence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in East Africa has impeded cattle exports from the region.
Sudanese media reported on Dec. 27 that the ban on live cattle exports to Saudi Arabia was lifted after 21 years based on a certificate issued by the World Animal Health and Epidemic Combating Organization, which confirmed that Sudanese livestock are free from Rinderpest, an infectious viral disease of animals known commonly as cattle plague.
Al-Sulaimani said the Sudanese market is somewhat primitive in its organization because business deals are conducted directly with cattle owners, which could sometimes cause problems with delivery.
Hashim Fateh Alrahman, deputy head of exports at the Ministry of Trade in Sudan, said that the Kingdom’s lifting of the ban would have a positive impact on Sudan’s economy, which relies heavily on livestock exports. Sudan exported 500,000 sheep to the Kingdom during the last quarter of 2006, including 200,000 sheep for the Haj season.
He added that the Sudan government has also canceled a number of export duties in an effort to ease the trade movement and have also encouraged local businessmen to finance export deals of cattle to the Gulf region and especially to the Kingdom.
