Beef cattle production and management
Practical Action
processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. In addition, there are public, non-governmental
and private service providers.
Actors and Business Development Services in the marketing value chain
The identification of the main actors in the livestock sector is based on the value chain analysis.
Performance or efficacy of a market chain is a result of how well the actors in the market chain
are organised and how well the chain is supported by a range of Business Development Services
(BDS). Market chain performance can often be increased by improving or gaining access to BDS
rather than assisting an individual or group of actors in a market chain.
Actors
Producers
At least 90% of cattle in Zimbabwe are held by smallholders in communal areas, followed by
the resettlement and the commercial areas. The communal sector also has the largest numbers
of other livestock, that is, goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys and poultry.
Traders
There are many formal and informal traders who buy livestock from farmers either at auctions or
go around the farms buying small numbers of cattle. Such traders have to spend a lot of time
traveling to sometimes buy one or two animals. As a result, the transaction costs are very high.
Some of these traders indulge in speculative activities and unfair trade practices in that they
would collude to buy livestock at very low prices. Usually, this is caused by lack of information
on market conditions among the producers.
Processors
There are several processors in the livestock sector and these vary according to the livestock type.
In the beef industry, there are 53 abattoirs/processors who are involved in the slaughtering of the
animals, grading the carcasses, processing different parts of the animal such as horns, hooves,
skins and hides. There are many other smaller processors since the market is now liberalized.
However, most processing plants are located near urban rather than producing areas.
Wholesalers
There are several wholesalers whoare involved in the selling of livestock products. Some of these
wholesalers are involved in the slaughtering of animals. Some of the supermarket chains and
butcheries have also been involved in both slaughtering and distribution of livestock products,
especially beef. However, the slaughters are done by abattoirs on behalf of the supermarkets.
They then do their own packaging and distribution of the product.
Retailers
Most buthcheries fall under this category. Just like the wholesalers, this group is also involved in
the slaughtering and distribution of livestock products.
The Consumers
These are at the end of the value chain. Consumers buy their livestock products from
wholesalers, the retailers and from the producers themselves, depending on the product desired.
Most of the beef consumers are very sensitive to price and whey they buy is dictated by price
rather than quality considerations. In the case of beef this would be commercial beef, otherwise
known as ration meat in the trade. This constitutes at least 75% of the market for beef in
Zimbabwe.
Public Sector Service Providers
Public sector service providers fall under government ministries and these are various
departments that are involved in the livestock sector. These are the Department of Livestock
Production, the Department of Veterinary and Technical Services, the Department of Agricultural
Research and Extension (AREX), Livestock Development Trust and Faculties of Agriculture at
universities.
53