Tanzania's national cattle herd is the third largest in Africa at 17m head--after Ethiopia and Sudan with 31m and 30m respectively.

Tanzania's national cattle herd is the third largest in Africa at 17m head--after Ethiopia and Sudan with 31m and 30m respectively. in addition it earns only a paltry $4m from the export of cattle, beef and related works compared to the $100m Botswana earns from this agro-sector.

The restraint with the support of international organisations, is now determined to turn topsy-turvy this trend and turn cattle into a major return generating resource--but obstacles remain.

The country's industrial beef production went into a tail spin when the collapse of the state-owned Tanganyika Packers Ltd in 1974 was followed, a