Madagascar Resumes Cattle Exports
MADAGASCAR - Madagascar can now resume cattle exports after the international embargo imposed on the nation in the 1990s was lifted.
13 February 2012
1 minute read
“The first batch of 120 steers heading to the Comoros will leave the port of Mahajanga, north western Madagascar, next Saturday,” said the Farming minister, Ihanta Randriamandranto, reports DailyNation.
Local traders also expect to meet orders received from the neighbouring island of Mauritius soon.
Strict veterinary conditions must be respected, according to the minister. The annual quota for the island is 50,000 cattle.
Export is allowed only for steers weighing more than 300 kilogrammes. Calves and cows are banned.
A government source said the national herd stands at approximately nine million. With the high consumption of beef in the country, the national herd is under threat.
Official records show Madagascar slaughters an annual average of 450,000 cattle.
With its two million inhabitants, the capital city Antananarivo alone consumes at least 250 cattle a day.
TheCattleSite News Desk
