Australian lamb and sheep producers may see a boost to their meat sales in the coming weeks as the full effect of the Muslim religious festival Ramadan takes effect.
Ramadan is an annual festival in the Muslim religious calendar, which involves a month of fasting during daylight hours. The irony for Australian producers is while food consumption during the day is prohibited, it leads to high consumption during evening hours, and a consequent spike in meat demand.
Meat & Livestock Australia’s regional manager in the Middle East, Ian Ross, says the festival has a significant cultural impact in the region. “During the evening the Muslim population consume large quantities of nutritional food to get them through the next day, and meat forms a critical part of this diet,” Mr Ross said.
“We are hoping that Australian lamb plays a big part in this trend.”
The expected spike in demand comes on the back of recent figures released by MLA, which shows that lamb exports to the Middle East are expected to increase by 21 per cent this year, and 9 per cent in 2007.
“This will take our annual lamb exports to the region up to 18,500 tonnes (swt), which is a far cry from the 10,300 tonnes we exported in 2004,” Mr Ross said.
“This growth will be due to strong consumer spending in the region, confidence in the safety of Australian meat and the integrity of our Halal program, low supplies from New Zealand and a shift by consumers away from poultry, due to concerns about avian flu.”
Live exports into the Middle East are expected to remain strong in the region, despite the strengthening Australian dollar and continued tight supply due to drought conditions across much of Australia.
“Live animals also play an important role in the Ramadan festival, and demand during this period is high,” Mr Ross said.
“The prospects for a great exporting month for both processed and live sheep and lamb is very high, and should provide a timely boost for farmers dealing with the prospect of another dry summer,” he said.
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