Kenya Set to Export Cattle And Goats to Mauritius

By Eddyson Lugangwa Posted 05 April 2006 @ 03:21 pm EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

Nairobi (IBTimes.com) - A consignment of livestock is set to leave the Mombasa port tomorrow for Mauritius, livestock exporters have said. The chief executive officer of Livestock Marketing Society of Kenya, Mr Aden Dualle said 1,200 cattle and 1,200 goats worth about Sh40 million would be

He said that the drought ravaging the country now posee great challenges to the lucrative export of live animals to the traditional market of Mauritius. Livestock traders have now opted to the animals being held at disease control and fattening centres in Taita Taveta as animals from the traditional arid and semi arid areas of North Eastern province were seriously emaciated and unfit for export.

Mr Dualle said his members whose traditional livestock buying market was North Eastern province had a difficult time finding the right animals for export. Speaking to the Sunday Nation on the telephone, Mr Dualle said continued drought in the country could destroy the lucrative export trade of live animals.

He noted that tomorrow's shipment would be the seventh to be exported to Mauritius in the last three years. He said since the export of
live cattle and goats started, farmers have earned Sh300m. He said apart from Mauritius, other countries like Egypt, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bahrain and Yemeni had shown interest in buying Kenyan cattle.

Mr Dualle appealed to Kenya Ports Authority to set up a live animal export port at Lamu town to specifically handle livestock. "KPA has done tremendous work in helping us export these animals to our traditional market in Mauritius but they can do better if they can establish an animal export port at Lamu," he suggested.He challenged the government and donors to focus their attention to water resource management.