By Callum Paton.
Tripoli, 4 February 2014:
Sheep exports from Europe to Libya have shot up in the last five years, from 29,000 animals . . .[restrict]in 2009 to more than 845,000 in the first eight months of 2013.
A Libyan Ministry of Agriculture official, Melad Farhat, told the Libya Herald that most imports came from Romania, Spain, Bulgaria and Ireland. Sheep also came from the Czech Reublic and Croatia, with others imported from much further afield, including New Zealand and Australia, he added.
Imports fluctuated throughout the year, Farhat said, with increased demand during Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha.
An expert from the Irish Food Board was quoted by the Irish agricultural portal Agriland as saying that EU sheep exports had undergone a major shift. “With a clear shortage in domestic production relative to market demand, Libya has emerged as an important market for the EU,” he said.
The leading Libyan companies importing sheep to Libya are Al-Etihad Company in Benghazi, Al-Jebel Al-Akhdar and Al-Kahef in Misrata, and the Tripoli-based firms Al-Joud and Al-Waha. [/restrict]
