Assessment of Cattle Fattening and Marketing Practice in Harshin District of Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

<p>The study was carried out in Harshin woreda, Fafan zone on the cattle fattening practice and marketing system to assess cattle fattening practice and marketing system in three kabeles of the study area. 84.4% and 15.6% respondents were male and female, respectively. The average age of the respondents was found to be 39.5 out of which 55.6%, 33.3% and 11.1% were illiterate, able to read and write and primary school, respectively. The overall mean for family size house hold was 5.73 persons per household and average holding of cattle, sheep, goat, and poultry were found to be 9.08, 3.51, 1.20 and 6.17, respectively. The majority (52%) of the farmers prefer to fatten steer than bulls. the major feeds given for the fattening cattle, is natural pasture (62%), grain by product (16%) and crop residues (22%) and water sources identified in woreda were wells (73%), ponds (20%), and lakes (7%). The housing system of cattle in the woreda were 30%, 50%, 20% in living room with the family, home stead shed and barn, respectively. The cattle fatteners obtain fattening cattle from farm-gate (62.2%), primary market (33.3%) and secondary market (4.5%). The current study indicated that selling of fattened cattle was undertaken at saylada local market (86.7%), Hartasheika town (13.3%). According to the result of the household survey, overall in the study area the mean price of cattle before and after fattening were about 5,000 birr and 9,500 birr, respectively, and resulting with gross profit of about 4,500 birr per fattening cattle which comes from price margin and feed margin. Major constraints that hindered the performance of cattle fattening activity in the study area were mentioned as feed shortage, lack of capital, shortage of labor, low level of awareness towards fattening cattle and animal health problem.</p&gt