MINISTER for Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Ulega has handed 20 high-quality breeding bulls to livestock keeper groups at Msomera village in Handeni District, Tanga Region.

The bulls are expected to help produce a generation of cattle that can yield more meat than the indigenous breeds currently found in the country.

Speaking shortly after handing over the bulls yesterday, Ulega stated that the event marked the fulfilment of the ministry's plan to bring changes to the livestock sector by improving livestock breeds through artificial insemination and providing livestock farmers with high-quality bulls.

“Tanzania is estimated to have a total of 36.6 million cattle, of which 97 percent are indigenous breeds. Therefore, a large portion of meat and milk production in the country relies on these indigenous cattle," he said.

"Our indigenous cattle are resilient to diseases and can withstand the environmental conditions of many areas in Tanzania. However, despite these qualities, these cattle have low productivity in terms of meat and milk. To increase production, one method is to breed hybrid cattle and improve management conditions, including nutrition. Indigenous cattle can produce between 80 to 120 kilograms of meat, but with improvements, they can produce between 150 to 200 kilograms."

The minister also highlighted the efforts of the government to secure international markets, which have resulted in a rapid increase in demand for products such as meat from Tanzania. For example, meat exports have increased from 10,415 tonnes valued at $42.5 million in 2021/2022 to 14,701.10 tonnes valued at $61.4 million in the 2022/2023 financial year.

“To sustain the market and meet meat quality standards, the ministry is taking steps to improve livestock, nutrition, access to water and animal health, aimed at increasing production and meat quality. This includes ensuring that farmers have access to high-quality breeding stock,” he said.

He noted that in the 2023/2024 financial year, the ministry purchased 200 Boran bulls worth 511.2m/-, with Msomera Livestock Village receiving 20 bulls.

Moreover, in the 2024/2025 financial year, the ministry plans to purchase 66 American Brahman bulls worth 990m/-. “The bulls will be loaned to farmers interest-free for two years through the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB). This loan arrangement is designed to ensure sustainability of the initiative by using the funds to purchase more bulls,” he said.

Ulega encouraged all livestock keepers in the country to shift from traditional farming methods and embrace commercial livestock farming. A key step towards this is using high-quality livestock breeds that can produce more yields. According to him, the government will continue to ensure that Msomera Village becomes a model livestock village. The government will provide all essential services for livestock, including dips, markets, milk collection centres, slaughterhouses, feed and water.