Forum discusses reasons behind drop in cattle production
October 7, 2025 10:05 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Anita Roberts.
Vanuatu’s cattle population has dropped from 112, 276 heads in 2020 to 103, 825 in 2022, and beef exports also declined from 91,074 kg in 2024 to 15,021 kg so far this year.
The cattle market is already available, but production needs to increase to meet the growing demand from a rising population, said the Director of the Department of Livestock (DoL), Lonny Bong, at the Cattle Forum on Santo.
The forum should address what went wrong with the national cattle restocking program, which is on track to fall short of its goal by 500,000 heads by this year, and the subsidy program that supports farmers with farming tools to boost production, said the Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Biosecurity (MALFB).
DG Timothy Tumukon mentioned that many suitable lands for raising cattle have been converted into subdivisions, used for other developments and farms now covered in bushes.
While acknowledging that over 90% of Vanuatu’s land area is under customary or indigenous land ownership, Director Bong pointed out that land disputes and converting agricultural leases to residential leases are also contributes.
Bong said social obligations, such as weddings and funerals, also contributed to the drop in cattle production, and it’s alarming that some of the female cattle going through abattoir for slaughter are younger than expected.
He said that livestock officers have committed to implementing government interventions, but if farmers are not serious, then progress will be limited.
“For procurement of NFI like barb wire for program support, might we have given to people who use them for other purposes other than cattle, possibly reselling them. This practice will not be allowed again,” he said.
Other challenges include limited human resource, knowledge and data gaps, and logistical difficulties in moving cattle to market.
He said the forum was an opportunity for the farmers and stakeholders to share their views with the government on the way forward.
The Vanuatu Primary Producing Authority’s (VPPA) Market and Business Advisor, Shadrack Welegtabit, conveyed that there was 40.4% decline in cattle numbers in 15 years from 2007 to 2022.
“Vanuatu had lost its fresh beef export, canned beef factories and currently high prices for beef in domestic markets, which continues to increase,” he stressed.
Welegtabit suggested that to move forward, the department should identify serious cattle farmers on selected islands using specific criteria, and assist them with land clearing, fencing materials, pasture establishment and access to water.
He also recommended the department restock these dedicate serious farmers with breeding stock and provide ongoing management training to ensue sustainability.
A farmer from east Santo suggested another restocking, but this time only for serious farmers to boost production.
Other suggestions of boosting production include rehabilitating farms like Nawota in south Santo and focussing on farmers with large land mass.
The minister responsible, Ian Wilson, said farmers must accept they are also to be blamed for the failure of the restocking program, not just the government.
A lot of concerns, questions, and suggestions were raised about the cattle restocking program on Day 2 of the Forum.
