postheadericon South African Agriculture Livestock Farming





Livestock is the largest agricultural sector in South Africa, with a inhabitants of some 13.eight-million cattle and 28.eight-million sheep. Stock breeders concentrate on the development of breeds that are properly adapted to various climatic and environmental conditions.

Dairy farming:

Dairy is produced throughout South Africa, with most farms within the eastern and northern Free State, North West, the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, the Eastern and Western Cape, Gauteng and the southern elements of Mpumalanga. The four main dairy breeds in South Africa are the Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey and Ayrshire.

The dairy business is vital to South Africa's job market, with some four 300 milk producers employing about 60 000 farmworkers and indirectly providing jobs to 40 000 people. Milk manufacturing for 2003/04 was estimated at 2-billion litres.

Beef farming:

South Africa produces 85% of its meat necessities, with 15% is imported from Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Australia, New Zealand and the EU. Native demand typically outstrips manufacturing, although there are untapped reserves in the communal farming areas.

Cattle ranches are found mainly in the Jap Cape, components of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Northern Cape. Widespread beef breeds include the indigenous Afrikaner and Nguni and regionally developed Bonsmara and Drakensberger. European and American breeds similar to Charolais, Hereford, Angus, Simmentaler, Sussex, Brahman and Santa Gertrudis are maintained as pure breeds or utilized in cross-breeding.

Sheep and goat farming:

South African sheep farming is concentrated in the Northern and Japanese Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga, with Ermelo in Mpumalanga being one of many largest wool-producing districts. Fifty percent of sheep are high quality-woolled Merinos. Other breeds embody the domestically developed Afrino, a woolled mutton breed tailored to arid circumstances, the South African Mutton Merino, the Dohne and the Merino Landrace. South Africa's mutton is produced from the Dorper - a highly productive and locally developed mutton breed for arid areas - and the woolled Merino.

Karakul sheep are farmed within the extra arid areas, with some 20 173 pelts with a gross value of R3-million produced in 2002/03. The indigenous meat-producing Boer goat accounts for about 30% of all commercial goats. The Angora goat is used for mohair production.

Poultry and pig farming:

South Africa's poultry and pig farms are extra intensive than the in depth sheep and cattle manufacturing, and are discovered near the metropolitan areas of Gauteng, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The predominant pig breeds are the South African Landrace, the Giant White, the Duroc and the Pietrain.

South Africa's annual poultry meat production is 960 000 tons. Broiler manufacturing contributes about eighty two% to complete poultry meat production, with the rest made up of mature hen slaughter (culls), small-scale and backyard poultry manufacturing, geese, geese, turkeys and other specialised chicken products. Earnings from poultry and egg manufacturing amounted to R11.3-billion in 2002/03.

South Africa accounts for sixty seven% of world gross sales of ostrich merchandise - leather-based, meat and feathers. The gross worth for ostrich feathers and merchandise during 2002/03 was R276.5-million.

Recreation farming:

South Africa has more game and a greater variety of recreation species than most countries. Game farming has grown over the years, and as we speak is a viable trade with nice economic potential. The nation's important sport areas are in Limpopo province, North West, Mpumalanga, the Free State, the Japanese Cape, the Karoo, the Kalahari in the Northern Cape and the thorn scrub of KwaZulu-Natal.

A descriptive recreation-manufacturing model has been developed for optimising intensive animal production on sport farms, with the potential to increase the worldwide produce of the game trade by between eight% and 15%.

Aquaculture:

The aquaculture business in South Africa continues to make significant progress in cultivation expertise, advertising and marketing strategy, advertising apply and scientific innovation. Mussels, trout, tilapia, catfish, oysters and waterblommetjies (Cape pondweed) are the key aquaculture species. Mussel farming occurs primarily at Saldanha Bay.