LAUNCH OF THE WATERBERG PRESIDENTIAL BULL & HEIFER PROJECT
30 Nov 2004
Over 200 hundred livestock emerging farmers who are drawn from all districts of the Limpopo province will gather at Baltimore on Friday, 3 December 2004 to witness a historic event at which the Honourable MEC for Agriculture in the Limpopo Province Dr. Aäron Motsoaledi will officially launch the Waterberg Presidential Bull & Heifer Project. The project emerged as another initiative of the National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation (NERPO), and is aimed at helping the emerging livestock farmers to improve quality and quantity of their livestock so as to participate meaningfully in the entire value chain of the red meat industry.
The launch of the Waterberg Presidential Bull & Heifer Project is a fourth in a row following Mara Research Station of Vhembe District, Limpopo, Rodebul of Bophirima, North West and ARC Roodeplaat, Gauteng. It comes just after the Limpopo Livestock Development Trust (LLDT) was launched in August this year specifically to create an enabling environment for the livestock emerging farmers to participate meaningfully towards building a sustainable livestock development in the Province. Funded by the LLDT, the project has accorded farmers with an opportunity to choose high quality bulls of their choice and according to their needs, after which the LLDT will buy to make them available to emerging livestock farmers of the Waterberg District Municipality who will also bring their heifers with the aim to produce new and high quality breeds that are competitive in the livestock industry.
As part of the procedural guidelines of the project, a contract will be signed between the LLDT represented by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture in its capacity as trustee, NERPO in its capacity as project founder and service provider together with the beneficiaries. The contract entails the following;
•Each beneficiary is expected to donate a heifer or any beef
cattle of any sex but not younger than 18 months and not
older than 36 months on receipt of a free bull;
•These heifers or beef cattle will be used for training purposes
of both the farmers and trainees of NERPO Young Agri-
Business Entrepreneurial Development Programme; and
•Each beneficiary is also expected to produce a monthly report
regarding production, health management, performance
management, and financial transactions for the month under
review.
These are kinds of bulls such as Bonsmara, Brown Swiss, Brahman which have competitive and distinctive features in fertility, improvement of livestock growth, functionality efficiency, high potential to improve calving percentage, their ability to withstand hot and humid weather conditions, ability to resist insects, ability to improve weights for heifers, and these are breeds that have carcases with a very good “cutout” value.
The launch is the fourth in a row and is a recommitment by NERPO in its pledge at the Limpopo Livestock Development Summit to deliver at least 200 bulls per annum to the livestock emerging farmers of the Limpopo Province so as to improve their herds. This undertaking is subsequent to one of the organisation’s key strategic goals, i.e. to commercialise the red meat industry through animal improvement, farmer training and market linkages.
During the proceedings of this momentous event, Dr. Aäron Motsoaledi, will deliver a keynote address and an official handing-over of bulls to the beneficiaries. This will be witnessed amongst others by MEC Motsoaledi’s counterparts from the North West, Free State and Mpumalanga Provinces, Red Meat Industry role players, and all other stakeholders who play a meaningful role in the development of the agricultural sector.
Enquiries:
Mr. Aggrey Mahanjana
Group Managing Director: NERPO
Tel : +27 (0) 12 361 9127
Fax : +27 (0) 12 361 4430
Cell : +27 (0) 82 556 7297
Or
Siyabulela wakwa-Makunga
Manager: Institutional Capacity Building, Marketing & Corporate Communications
National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organisation
Tel : +27 (0) 12 361 9127
Fax : +27 (0) 12 361 4430
Cell : +27 (0) 82 483 7155
Email : siyabulelam@nerpo.org.za
website www.nerpo.org.za
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