Tanzania is endowed with abundant natural resources which include land, pasture and the third larges herd of cattle in Africa after Ethiopia and Sudan. Out of the total 88.6 million hectares of land resource, 60 million hectares are rangelands suitable for livestock grazing.
These are able to carry up to 20 million cattle. However, due to tsetse fly infestation and other constraints, only 40% of the rangelands are utilized for grazing the 18.5 million cattle; 13.1 million goats and 3.6 million sheep. Other major livestock species kept in the country include 1.2 million pigs and 53 million poultry. More than 90% of the livestock population in the country is of indigenous types, kept in the traditional sector, according to a recent government report.
The livestock have low productivity yet well adapted to the existing harsh environment including resistance to diseases. Livestock is among the major agricultural sub-sectors in Tanzania. Out of the 4.9 million agricultural households, about 36% are keeping livestock (35% are engaged in both crop and livestock production while 1% are purely livestock keepers).
The industry accounted for 5.9 percent to total GDP in 2006, of which beef, dairy and other stock provided 40%, 30% and 30% respectively, a report from the Livestock and Fisheries ministry says. The contribution of livestock is not limited to its share in the total GDP but also play other important roles such as contribution to national food supply (meat, milk and eggs), and food security; acts as a source of cash income, employment and an inflation free store of value.
It also provides manure and draught animal power thus contributing to sustainable agriculture. In addition, livestock play an import substitution role in the consumption of livestock products in the country. Despite its importance, to date the industry’s contribution to the national economy is still dismal compared to other sectors of the economy.
Meat production is an important industry within the livestock sub sector and to date most of the meat consumed in the country is locally produced. The main livestock species that are used for meat production in this country are cattle, goats, sheep, poultry and pigs. More than 90% of these animals are indigenous types found in the traditional sector. Regions which have large numbers of livestock include Shinyanga, Mwanza, Arusha, Tabora, Singida, Manyara, Mara, and Dodoma.
Lower livestock populations while regions which have relatively low populations include Lindi, Mtwara, Ruvuma and Coast. However, currently these regions have become major recipients of the livestock that had been evicted from the Usangu wetlands (commonly known as Ihefu) in Mbarali district. Of the meat producing animals, cattle are the most important
as they produce most of the red meat and contribute 53% of total meat production.
Indigenous cattle dominated by the Tanzania Short horn Zebu and Ankole breeds are the main source of beef in the country. About 80% of the indigenous animals are kept in the agro-pastoral system, while 14% are in the pastoral system. Small ruminants (sheep and goats) contribute about 22% to the national meat supplies. The sheep and goat meat production activity is being practiced by about 30% of the agricultural households in Tanzania.
As is for cattle the national sheep and goat flock is mainly composed of indigenous strains which are widely distributed and adapted to a range of agro-ecological zones. Their ability to multiply and grow faster than cattle, at a relatively low cost makes shoats more attractive to small-scale farmers. Despite these attributes, their production is constrained by poor nutrition, prevalence of diseases, low genetic potential and poor marketing infrastructure.
The annual off-take rates are estimated at 29% and 28% and average carcass weight of 12 and 15 kilograms for sheep and goats respectively.. Strategies to increase sheep and goats for meat production have incorporated research including that which lead to the development
of the Malya blended Goat, nutrition and general flock management.
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