Ethiopia’s Livestock Export Revenues Surge to 128.3 Million USD as Country Targets 1 Billion USD Potential

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 4, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopia’s livestock export earnings reached 128.3 million USD in the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year, up from approximately 95 million USD in previous years, marking an increase of more than 35 percent in just one year, according to the Livestock Development Institute.

Speaking at a linkage negotiation and contract-signing forum, Livestock Development Institute Director General Asrat Tera highlighted the growth but said the country could raise earnings to at least 1 billion USD.

He noted that Ethiopia’s 12 export abattoirs are currently operating at only 10 percent of their combined production capacity of 200,000 metric tons.

To capitalize on this potential, the government aims to raise abattoir capacity utilization to 50 percent in the 2019 Ethiopian fiscal year. The target includes exporting about 46,000 metric tons of meat and meat products to generate more than 250 million USD in revenue.

Achieving these targets will require overcoming livestock supply constraints, which Asrat identified as the sector’s main bottleneck.

He stressed that systematic supply-chain management and reliable partnerships among pastoralists, live-animal traders, and export abattoirs are critical to ensuring a consistent supply and driving value addition.

Livestock Development Institute Deputy Director General Sahilu Mulu added that the government is working to strengthen the broader value chain by expanding processing capacity for both domestic and international markets.

Over the past two weeks, three field support teams were deployed to the Somali Region, South Ethiopia Regional State, southern Oromia, and the Afar Region to engage local stakeholders on production, aggregation, and marketing.

To put these strategies into practice, Ethiopian Meat Producers and Exporters Association President Kelifa Hussein announced a new pilot arrangement. The initiative will allow livestock suppliers in the Somali Region and Borana to supply animals directly to export facilities.

Kelifa noted that bypassing unnecessary intermediaries will significantly reduce transaction costs, boost competitiveness, and deliver direct economic benefits to local traders and pastoralists. The association plans to evaluate the pilot and provide additional support, including logistics and financing, to sustain the direct-supply model.

The forum brought together export abattoir operators and leaders from the Somali Region and Borena Zone Livestock Traders Associations to sign agreements and formalize market ties.