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  • Publication | 2021

African trade in livestock products and value chains

Global Food and Nutrition Security

Since the launch of the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM), its fourth chapter has been dedicated to the study of different African agricultural value chains. In 2019, the AATM report examined the competitiveness of export-oriented commodity value chains, including traditional cash crops such as cashew nuts, cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar, and tea, and more recent top exports like citrus, grapes, sesame seeds, tomatoes, legumes, and pulses. In 2020, the report considered the defensive trade interests of African cereals, sugar, and vegetable oil value chains. This year we examine livestock trade, one of the most complex trade sectors in African agriculture. Understanding this sector is complicated by the fact that formal livestock trade data tell only part of story, given that informal cross-border trade is widespread within Africa — especially informal trade of live animals. Many consumers in Africa continue to slaughter their own animals, whether purchased at markets or raised by their own households. In this chapter, we rely primarily on official trade statistics, but also qualify their validity and compare them with the (albeit limited) informal trade data available.