Byo Abattoirs, Mangwe farmers seal bull scheme deal

01 Feb, 2015 - 00:02 0 Views

The Sunday News

BULAWAYO Abattoirs and Mangwe Farmers’ Association have entered into an agreement with one of the biggest pedigree cattle producers in Matabeleland region, Sommer Ranching for the supply of 31 pedigree and pure bull breeds in Mangwe district as a way of improving the quality of cattle in the area.

Mangwe Farmers Association chairman Mr Adam Bango Dube, said the bull scheme was going to benefit both commercial and communal farmers as it was likely to increase the quality of their herd subsequently increasing the value of the animals on the market.

Sommer Ranching released 31 pedigree and pure, one to two year old bulls last Thursday and the young animals are going to be distributed among Mangwe Farmers Association’s eight feedlots for sale or in exchange of a beast(s) equivalent to the value of the young bull on offer.

“This is a big project in which our partner in the development of farming, Bulawayo Abattoirs has gone a long way and linked us to the producer of the bulls.

“Since this is a pilot programme we have started with 31 bulls and we will look at the uptake and if they are taken quickly we will request for more as the producer can supply up to 150 bulls at any given time,” Mr Dube said.

He said although the bulls are going to be sold at the association’s feedlots, the sale was also open to non-affiliated farmers.

“The bulls will be selling for $1 000 to $1 200 and this is a very fair price considering their breed. Those without cash can even exchange with two or three of their low quality cattle,” Mr Dube said.

At national annual bull sales which are held in Harare and Bulawayo, the prices of bulls range between $3 000 and $5 000.

A pedigreed animal is one that has its ancestry recorded. Often this is tracked by a major registry. The number of generations required varies from breed to breed, but all pedigreed animals have papers from the registering body that attest to their ancestry.

Purebreds, also called pure breeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding.

When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed.

The association’s secretary, Mr Godfrey Ndlovu, said the distribution of the pedigree and pure breed bulls would effectively improve the quality of the animals in the district, enhancing the farmers’ chances of reaping more upon selling their livestock.

“The bulls will definitely be beneficial to farmers because the majority of them have inferior breeds and the introduction of these pedigrees and pure breeds will improve the quality of our animals and farmers will surely fetch good prices,” Mr Ndlovu said.

Bulawayo Abattoirs project manager Mr Ndodana Dube said facilitating the bulls’ project was part of the company’s business strategy to sustain its operations.

“As a company we used to get some bit of challenges from farmers when it comes to pricing but with these breeds we are looking at farmers enhancing more value into their herds than previously. It’s obvious that selected steers fetch more than indigenous breeds. Even when feeding an indigenous breed, the feed conversion is very poor.

“We survive on beef as an industry and this scheme is part of our efforts to plough back to the communities. Of course we stand to benefit through getting a good product to the market while farmers will also get good prices for their animals upon selling them to us,” Mr Dube said.

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