Overview of Livestock in Malawi
Stanford Muyila
16 December 2016
Topics covered•Location of Malawi•Country Profile•Beef production•Dairy production•Goats•Pigs
Location of malawi
12,107km South West of Japan
Rain: October to April, 725mm to 2,500mm Temperature: 25 and 37 degrees Celsius.
Malawi
Country profileParameter Value RemarksTotal Area (including Lake)Lake area
118,500 km²29,600 km²
Japan is 3x size of MalawiFresh water
Population 16.36 million Japan is 7.8x population of Malawi
GDP Per capita $ 226.46 Japan is 170x GDP per capita of Malawi
Agriculture GDP 1960 (WB report ) 2015
50%29.3%
Usually quoted to be at 38%
Livestock contribution to GDP
7-11%
Major agricultural crops Food; Maize, g/nuts, pigeon peas, etcCommercial; tobacco, tea, sugarcane
Cattle in Malawi
Cattle Population 1,470,881 Proportion
Beef cattle 1,390,442 94.5%
Malawi zebu 1,359,326 97.8%
Pure brahman 25,513 1.8%
Brahman crosses 5,603 0.4%
Dairy cattle 80,439 5.5%
Pure Dairy 18,618 23.1%
Dairy crosses 61,821 76.9%
Cattle count/Sq Km
Beef in Malawi• Malawi zebu are everywhere, but more
concentrated in shire valley. • 1957 stall feeding started to produce
meat for domestic market. Mostly from Malawi zebu with a few crosses.
• In 2013, new stud breeder has opened in the Northern Malawi. To supply boran bulls for crossbreeding
• Challenges
FMD outbreaks from wild animals? (Lengwe National Park and Majete game reserve)
Cattle count/Sq Km
Animals in the wildlife parks
Elephant at Majete Wildlife reserve
Malawi Zebu
Photo: Kwandama ranch
Characteristics of Malawi ZebuVariable N Mean Range
Standard deviation
Birth weight (kg) 623 20.0 10-39 4.96
205-day weight (kg) 297 99.8 40.9-169 22.9
Weaning age (days) 357 205 52-302 52.3
Weaning weight (kg) 414 92.1 45-174 20.3
Growth rate (kg/day) 297 0.375 0.0922- 0.694 0.111
For beef we promote cross-breedingWe have
25,515 Brahman as pure breed
5603 Brahman crosses
BosmaraBoran
PhotoBrahman bull at Mikolongwe Livestock Center
Brahman herd atMikolongwe, Malawi
Beef cattle ranchBoran Bull and their crosses with Malawi Zebu at Kwandama Cattle Ranch. Mzimba
Dairy Production- History• 1950s’ First high-yielding breeds
imported from South Africa and Zimbabwe
• Early 1970, the Malawian Government intensified milk production by organizing farmers into milk bulking groups that collect and check the milk
• Established processing plants in the three major cities: Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu.
• In 1997, the dairy industry in Malawi was then privatized and the three private dairy processing companies were established in each region
Distribution of dairy cattle breeds ADD No. of
pure Dairy% of total
No. ofDairy cross
% of total
Karonga 135 1% 301 0%Mzuzu 1,839 10% 4,665 8%Kasungu 2,766 15% 1,991 3%Lilongwe 5,319 29% 4,612 7%Salima 568 1%Machinga 351 2% 1,628 3%Blantyre 8,208 44% 48,029 78%Shire Valley 27 0%
TOTAL 18,618 61,821
Distribution of dairy cattle breeds
Pure Dairycount/SqKm Dairy Crosses
count/SqKm
Ratio of crosses to pure dairy cattle
Karonga Mzuzu Kasungu Lilongwe Salima Machinga Blantyre Shire Valley0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
120.0%Ratio of Cross breeds to Pure dairy animals
Pure Cross
Import of pure animals by NGOs i.e land o lakes
Productive parameters of dairy cattleVariable (Year) 1973-1983 1996 2012 2015 Birth weight (kg) 30.136 30Weaning weight at 200dys (kg)
136.2 ± 22
Age at first calving (Months)
38.4 36-42 35.5
Milk yield per lactation (kgs)
2704±143 7-10 7-10
Lactation length (days)
390±150 326±15 307
Daily milk yield (kgs) 8.4±0.3 7-10 8
Calving interval (days)
485 382±12 572 491
Days open 112±14First service conception rate (%)
55
Milk processing in Malawi
Selected challenges faced• From farmers perspective• Low milk prices K150/liter (21.5 yen/liter) hindering farmers
from realizing enough money to further invest in the farm i.e khola, feeds etc and improve productivity• High milk losses at MBG due to erratic electricity supply (milk)• Low conception rates
• From processors perspective• Poor milk quality (bacterial count and adulteration)• Unfair competition/Influx of imported milk powders
• From extension workers• Inadequate support systems to extension workers i.e refresher
courses, transport etc
To Blantyre CityFrom Quality assurance DepartmentDate 25 /11/2014LOW PURCHASING PRICE FOR RAW MILKParameter Result StandardTemperature 16ºC
Alcohol -ve -veAcidity 0.14 0.13-0.15Resazurin 6 6Fat % 4.02 3minSNF % 7.32 9minLactose % 4.02 4minProtein % 2.69 3minDensity 1.026 1.027Water 11.50% 10%
Comment: Your milk shows low density of 1.025g/cm2 which is belowOur minimum requirement of 1.027g/cm2. as such it has been purchased at a price of K114.
Milk price was K130 at bulking group and about K200 through informal market
CASE STUDY of Milk marketing
The role of informal milk market
Issues surrounding milk marketing in Malawi require detailed analysis. However, lack of data is a constraint
More milk is going through informal markets. Threatening the existence of bulking groups
Dairy farmers-Processor meeting
Government support to MBGS2014 2016Blantyre City MBG, Blantyre
Government support to MBGS
2014
2016Mpemba MBG, Blantyre
Farmers starting processing…
Owned by some employees of SHMPA farmer association
Farmer AI technician
Goats and Pigs
`GOAT HOUSING
Goats
Sheep
PIG HOUSING
Pigs
Local pigs are many.
For commercial purposed common breeds are landrace and large whites.
Sometimes mixed up
THE END
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