Herders to get Sh12 billion payout for cattle losses

The government has released Sh12 billion to compensate pastoralists who lost their livestock during the 2009 drought in Ngorongoro, Longido and Monduli districts in Arusha Region. Livestock and Fisheries Development deputy minister Benedict ole Nangolo said the money would be paid to over 6,000 households as soon as possible. The money had been released by the Disaster Management Department in the Prime Minister's Office. Some 6,127 households in the districts lost 403,839 animals, mostly cattle, during the drought. The deputy minister said each household would be given four head of cattle and ten goats as compensation for their loss.

Livestock contributed at least 30 per cent of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP), Mr ole Nagolo said, adding there were an estimated 21 million head of cattle in Tanzania, the third largest herd in Africa after Ethiopia and Sudan. (The Citizen)