By RACHNA LAL
Fiji should not look into exporting beef as there is already a big market locally to supply beef to, says an industry expert, Peter Colmar.
He said Fiji has around 750,000 tourists and a little less than one million population which is enough to supply local beef for.
“There is a good market for beef in Fiji and this is enough to supply for the next 20 years or so,” he said.
Mr Colmar made these comments yesterday as he facilitated a Sarami Workshop in Suva. The workshop was hosted by the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council at the Holiday Inn Suva.
The Sarami Workshop is a model derived from cattle farming business in Vanuatu called Sarami Plantation for which Mr Colmar is the owner.
With this example, the model provides Fiji with practical lessons recommended as key features and outcomes in the beefing industry that may be promoted in Fiji.
Mr Colmar said, with exports, then there would be the whole thing about the abattoir.
“If you want to export, then you need to have abattoir and the rules keep changing,” he said.
“It puts up the cost of meat processing – you don’t need that.
High imports, improving quality
Mr Colmar said while Fiji doesn’t export beef at present, it does import quite a large amount.
“This is even to the extent Fiji imports for the tin meat industry and turns it into cans and then this gets re-exported,” he said.
But Mr Colmar said there is a need to import at this stage especially for the hotel industry because the tourists want soft steak.
“If you eat Fijian beef, it’s always quite tough. So you need to get the quality up before you can supply to the resorts and the tourism sector,” he said.
“Making the quality better just requires feed them better, look after them better, genetic change and improving pastures.”
Huge potential
Mr Colmar believes there is huge potential in the beef industry but the people getting into it need a bit of patience.
Independent meat consultant, Jon Marlow (left) with Sarami Planation owner, Peter Colmar during the Sarami Workshop at the Holiday Inn Suva yesterday. The workshop was organised by the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council. Photo: RAMA
