Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-02-24 02:35:00
The goat sector has a bright future ahead. In Madagascar, the goat sector is marked by a constant increase in demand, between 8 and 12% per year, which leads observers to support that it is a real sector of the future. But in order to better contribute to the economy, it must transform itself.
Vast regions with poor vegetation cover for cattle are favorable for small ruminants (sheep and goats) and justify the breeding of these species almost everywhere in Madagascar. Breeders apply the traditional extensive breeding type to small ruminants. They generally raise the local breed using free mating with their own bucks and rams from the family herd. Genetic improvement actions have been undertaken to increase the value of the entire herd, currently estimated at 400 billion ariary. This involves the introduction of Angora breeders for mohair production and British Alpine breeders for dairy production in goats.
“The country has about two million sheep and goats, small ruminants are among the priority intervention sectors in the development of the livestock sector in Madagascar,” remind the authors of various studies on the livestock sector in the country. A significant part of the population is located in certain specific ecological zones in the South. In this part of the country, goat breeding is an important economic activity that constitutes a form of savings or risk reduction for the majority of agro-pastoral households in the area. It is practiced by approximately 70,000 breeders for 400,000 goats and 12,000 breeders for 120,000 goats in the Anosy and Androy regions respectively.
But in order to align with a continuously growing demand, goat breeding (for meat, milk, and leather) must increase production capacity and added value. The exclusively extensive breeding model must change, as well as the mastery of reproduction. According to Tovo Rabe, a technician in small ruminant breeding, it is time to end the commercialization of fast-growing males, despite the slow-growing males being used as breeders. He also emphasizes the need to improve the animal material in the goat sector and its diffusion to allow the improvement of production within agro-pastoral households.
Technical and financial partners have identified the goat sector as a priority and have pushed for the creation of a platform with the aim of bringing together the various actors in the sector. At its inception in 2017, the platform brought together 4,200 breeders, eleven unions and a federation, two transformers, five local collectors, and five input suppliers. And according to a breeder operating in the Anosy region, the existence of this platform brings many advantages, including a good diagnosis of genetic improvement priorities.
Studies conducted to improve the socio-economic contribution of the sector support that the intervention logic must take into account different genetic improvement strategies, differentiating productive objectives, prioritizing the need for animal adaptation to local conditions (adaptation to heat, drought, etc.), but also and above all the available resources (feed including fodder, type of breeding management, access to animal health services).
Promising Sector
The livestock sector in Madagascar currently represents nearly 15% of the national GDP. It is considered one of the most promising sectors in achieving the goal of food self-sufficiency. In this encouraging context, several representatives of livestock operators have taken a stand to defend the idea of a performant system and ambitious challenges for livestock. “The potential is enormous, especially in livestock, in several areas of the country. The South alone, for example, can still serve as a lever to meet domestic and international markets,” supported Rostand Randriampilamanana, an economic operator specialized in goat livestock and spokesperson for the sector operators, interviewed by a local daily.
For the government, support for the development of the small ruminant sector (goats and sheep) is in line with the expectations of the sector operators. This income-generating activity is well suited to the geographical and climatic conditions in the southern part of the Great Island and is considered a source of sustainable income for local breeders. The selling price of a 60 kg goat is around 200,000 ariary and sheep milk costs 2,000 ariary per liter.
The State provides support for livestock organizations through projects such as the DEFIS program (financed in part by the International Fund for Agricultural Development or FIDA). The support package provided by the program includes farm management, animal habitat improvement, health and offspring improvement. For example, farmers from the Ezaka organization in Androvasoa, a rural commune in Antanimora, have benefited from this support and received 30 “Boer” goats. Currently, the number of herds has doubled, and it is in this perspective that the supervising ministry says it remains “sensitive to improving the standard of living of members of peasant organizations and to the expressed needs of rural entrepreneurs at the regional level.” Monthly, nearly four hundred goats are shipped to the capital.
It is also important to note that many countries are interested in Madagascar’s goat sector. Arab countries, which source primarily from Australia, have been interested in Madagascar’s goat meat for years. Just for Iran, its annual need amounts to 6,000 tons. Private Arab operators have already come to our country to explore possibilities for developing commercial partnerships in the goat sector.
Madagascar’s Participation in the Global Livestock Transformation Conference, Rome, September 25-27, 2023.
Heading towards China
Last year, the Malagasy Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock presented a number of measures to prepare for the export of ovine and caprine meats from Madagascar to China. Feno Andriamanalina from the Directorate-General of Agriculture explained that to attract the Chinese market, it is necessary to improve the herd and increase production capacity in the face of still insufficient demand.
In this sense, the ministry has decided to focus on genetic improvement and breeding practices. Thus, goat breeder multiplier centers will be established to promote the reproduction and multiplication of these animals while ensuring rigorous health monitoring through epidemiological surveillance measures. The project includes the opening of a veterinary laboratory to closely monitor their health condition and efforts will be made to improve slaughterhouses, ensuring a safer production chain.
Authorities also emphasize the need for the identification of strategic locations for goat breeding, especially where crop residues, a natural food source for these animals, are accessible, knowing that all regions of the island are conducive to it. “Madagascar now has the minimum required headcount, but the ministry will have to define the annual export volumes, thus ensuring the herd’s regeneration while maintaining a balance with local consumption,” it was said.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar, China and Madagascar have signed a protocol on the inspection and quarantine of Malagasy meat for export to China, opening up new horizons for the export of food products from Madagascar and commercial cooperation between the two countries. According to Eurostat data, over one billion goats are raised on the planet, with nearly half in Asia and 40% in Africa. These goats can be raised for meat, milk, or hair.
Globally, goat milk production reaches 20.7 million tons of milk, with 6 million (29%) produced in India, 21% in Africa, and 15% in Europe. France accounts for 3% of global milk production. Meat production is very important in Asia and Africa. In Europe, France is the largest producer of goat milk (28% of production), followed by Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, and Portugal. The five countries together provide 88% of the European Union’s milk production (collected and farm).
While Southern Madagascar is best known as the most active area for goat breeding, it is essential to note that the North also has great potential for developing its small ruminant sector. This is why the authorities and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have decided to support the actors in this sector in this part of the country. For several years now, a project has been implemented to support the promotion of the small ruminant sector in the Diana Region.
“The project was launched to better capitalize on the potential of livestock. Intensification and improvement of the competitiveness of animal production are necessary, especially to facilitate the transition from a subsistence economy to a market economy, which requires profitable, nutritious, healthy products that meet standards,” it was explained. In this context, a mission was entrusted to the Technical Support Center for the Development of Small Ruminant Breeding in the Diana Region to contribute to genetic improvement (providing breeders with improved breeds), improve animal feed management (pasture management, feed supplements, input supply), and enhance animal health protection.
“An increase in exports in animal resources will result from the organization and revitalization of the small ruminant sector. This will lead to an improvement in foreign exchange earnings, job creation, and will contribute to economic growth and a better balance of the country’s trade balance,” it was also stated. For the FAO, “the efforts made should be capitalized on, and investments valued in order to better support the country’s progress towards development.”
According to Patrice Talla Takoukam from FAO, support for the goat sector in the North will contribute to strengthening the fight against poverty, improving food security, and combating malnutrition in Madagascar. “The FAO has decided to support the project to promote the small ruminant sector in the Diana Region through funding amounting to USD 316,000, as well as the technical expertise of the FAO and development partners.” The initiative will allow small breeders, the primary beneficiaries of the project, to increase animal productivity, which in turn will help improve their income, nutrition, food security, and living conditions for their families. In addition to 3,000 operating breeders throughout the Diana Region and their associations, women livestock groups, collectors/exporters, slaughterhouses, and butchers also benefit from the project. Livestock animals represent an accessible and mobilizable initial capital for the most vulnerable rural and peri-urban households.
Suzelin Ratohiarijaona, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock
“Like other sectors, small ruminant breeding is also supported by the government. We recently distributed hundreds of lambs and kids. Farmers also received thousands of bottles of antiparasitics and vitamins, including 40,000 doses of vitamins and 62,500 doses of antiparasitics for small ruminants. The ministry also emphasizes the importance of strengthening animal traceability. This is why electronic tags for 18,000 sheep and goats have been distributed.”
Freddy Andrianasolo, President of the Gasyskin Platform
“Thanks to a partnership agreement with the FACMAIR project in its 7th call, state-of-the-art machines are made available to farmers. This will allow us to improve both the quantity and quality of our artisanal products. We exploit, among other things, the skins of zebus, goats, and sheep.”
The End.
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