Over 300 youths to be employed as 100 new cattle fattening schemes get established countrywide
Dodoma.
Tanzania is working to introduce more than 100 livestock fattening schemes in practically all regions on the mainland.
This will be executed through the National Ranching Company (NARCO) which operates diverse ranching projects across the country.
The Director General of NARCO Professor Peter Msoffe says through the new proposed initiative, the Public Ranching Company will employ over 300 youth freshly graduated from livestock keeping training institutes.
The state –owned ranching entity is currently working to promote performance of the livestock sector in the country, but also to provide the livestock graduates with potential opportunities to put their acquired-class theories into practice.
“As per the project design, it is being anticipated that each of the 100 proposed schemes will be established on larger pieces of land measuring between 1000 and 4000 acres,” Prof Msoffe explains.
NARCO is currently sourcing more funds for such investments. The Director General points out that a big capital is needed in order to ensure that the project is being implemented properly.
“In realizing the project NARCO intends to invest in younger manpower. We are employing young people with knowledge in animal husbandry, farming, pasture production, marketing and water expertise,”
Hand in hand with the ambitious project, NARCO also plans to establish ranches in all regions across the nation, including parts of the country that were initially not thought of, as far as livestock keeping is concerned.
“We are consulting with local authorities in all regions of mainland Tanzania to see the possibility of acquiring ample pieces of land for establishing livestock rearing ventures,” says Prof Msoffe.
The National Ranching Company Limited (NARCO) is a parastatal organization under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries responsible for large scale commercial ranching in the country.
Tanzania ranks third in Africa after Ethiopia and Sudan, as far as number of livestock is concerned, the country has 22 million cattle, 15.2 million goats, 6.4 million sheep and 1.6 million pigs.
At least 98 percent of these being local breeds belonging to nomadic pastoralists, kept mainly under the traditional grazing system.
Arusha region tops the country’s bill with nearly 6 million livestock of which, 1,380,000 are cattle, 1,497,361 goats, 1,138,852 sheep, 20,580 pigs and 1,673,702 chicken. Tanzania has 31 regions.
And in Arusha, it is Ngorongoro which has the largest number of livestock, the precinct has over 640,000 livestock, mostly cattle, accounting for 35 percent of all cattle population found in the Region.
The traditional pastoralists and agro-pastoralists sector also produces an estimated 1.65 billion litres equivalent to 70 percent of total dairy production valued at 701 billion/-. The industry gives direct employment to more than 2.2 million people in Tanzania.
Dairy contributes only 1.5 percent to the country’s GDP, presenting an enormous opportunity for growth.
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