Times Of Swaziland: GOVT BUYS  E8M VALUED  BORAN BULL,  KING IMPRESSED

GOVT BUYS  E8M VALUED  BORAN BULL,  KING IMPRESSED
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Ntombi Mhlongo on 03/09/2024 17:30:00


MANZINI - “Ningayilahli.”
This directive, which means ‘do not lose it’, was issued by His Majesty King
Mswati III after he was made aware of the presence of a bull valued at E8
million that Eswatini, through the Ministry of Agriculture, imported from South
Africa. This happened on Saturday, when the King toured the different stalls at
the Eswatini International Trade Fair (EITF), currently taking place at the
Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre. The bull is of the Boran breed. It became
famous in South Africa last year after President Cyril Ramaphosa purchased it
for a record E3.5 million. Boran cattle were originally bred in east Africa more
than 1 000 years ago, and are known for being very well-adapted to harsh
conditions on the continent.
According to farming experts, the greatest attribute of the Boran is its
fertility, according to the Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa.
The experts say even under harsh conditions, a Boran cow continues to breed and
rear calves without punishing herself. Boran cattle are also regarded as docile
and easy to handle. Last month, it was reported that a Zimbawean cattle rancher,
Collen Tafireyi, engraved his name into the annals of the cattle industry, after
he shattered cattle auction records at the Hurwitz Farming Production auction
held at the Bull Ring Auction House in Davel, Mpumalanga, by buying a prized
Boran bull for a whopping US$444 000, approximately E8 million.
Informed
During the tour, the minister of Agriculture, Mandla Tshawuka, informed the King
that there were four breeds under the cattle section. He listed them as the
Brahman, Nguni, Drakensberg and the Boran. He then informed the King that when
it entered the market four years back, its highest bid was E1.2 million, while
the following year it went up to E2.2 million. He said last year, the value shot
up to E3.5 million, while this year it stands at E8 million.
“We have imported it from South Africa to try and breed it up here so that we
can introduce it in the country. Basically, we are propagating it, we fetched it
with eight females, so that it breeds more. As the King said, we will try by all
means to not lose it, because its value is high,” the minister said during a
separate interview with this publication. According to Wikipedia, the Kenyan
Boran cattle were developed from the native short-horned Zebu cattle of the
Borana Oromo people of Southern Ethiopia. They are usually white or fawn, with
the bulls being darker with black point. Their great similarity, Wikipedia says,
to the American Brahman cattle is not without basis, they are also descended
from cattle from the western coast of India, only much earlier. Also mentioned
is that since 1951, the Boran Cattle Breeders’ Society has been managed and
strategically breeding Boran cattle in Kenya.
Classified
As of 2008, there were approximately 454 beef ranches in that country, which
were classified based on ownership as one of five categories; group ranches,
private company ranches, co-operative ranches, public company ranches and
government ones. In neighbouring South Africa, the Boran is expensive due to the
fact that the breed fills the gap between the perfect carcass animal, which
requires high maintenance and is expensive to rear. It is also regarded as an
indigenous breed, which struggles to meet market standards and generates low
income from abattoirs. This is, because the Boran produces acceptable carcasses,
with low to no input costs.In August last year, News24 reported that President
Cyril Ramaphosa paid a record price for a Boran bull. This, it was reported,
happened at an auction in Mpumalanga. The animal, named Jester, fetched a E3.5
million, which at the time was regarded as the highest price for a Boran bull.
It was mentioned that the bull was to join Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni Boran stud
near Badplaas.