Nyagatare launches three-month cattle fattening drive to boost beef supply

By The Inspirer.

Nyagatare District has launched a cattle-fattening programme designed to help farmers produce animals meeting slaughter-weight requirements within three months and increase the supply of cattle to the district’s modern abattoir.

The initiative was launched by an entrepreneur who invested in the abattoir, in partnership with the district authorities. It will promote specialised feeding of cattle to help farmers reach market weight faster and improve the supply of quality animals for slaughter.

Nyagatare District has allocated five hectares for the programme. The site will also serve as a demonstration and training centre where other farmers can learn the fattening techniques and apply them on their own farms before supplying cattle to the abattoir.

Acting Executive Administrator of Nyagatare District, Kakooza Henry, said the initiative is already attracting farmers interested in beef production.

“We already have about 18 farmers who are ready to engage in beef cattle farming. They will be trained and monitored by the entrepreneur according to the agreements they will sign,” Kakooza told RBA.

The demonstration farm can accommodate about 200 cattle.

The initiative comes as the district seeks to address a gap in its beef value chain. Despite Nyagatare having a large cattle population, authorities say many animals sent for slaughter do not meet the required weight because of inadequate feeding.

Sagisengo Emmanuel, a farmer in Nyagatare, said he is already fattening 35 bulls and plans to expand his operation.

He said his target is to eventually supply up to 100 bulls to the abattoir, using the specialised feeding approach to achieve the required slaughter weight within three months.

“If you start with a young bull costing about Rwf500,000 and raise it for a year, you can sell it for around Rwf1 million,” he said.

The modern abattoir has the capacity to slaughter up to 200 cattle a day. It was completed in 2023 following an investment of Rwf1.5 billion by the entrepreneur.

The new programme is expected to improve the supply of slaughter-ready cattle while giving farmers a more structured market for beef animals and helping the abattoir operate closer to its capacity.