page_title: Agriculture in Somalia
section_title: Pastoralism
hierarchical_section_title: Agriculture in Somalia / Pastoralism
caption_attribution_description: Bosaso Tannery
context_page_description: Agriculture in Somalia is a major employment activity and is the largest economic sector in the country. It contributes more than 65% to the national GDP from domestic distribution and exports to other parts of the continent, the Middle East and Europe.
context_section_description: Somalia's economy consists of both traditional and modern production, with a gradual shift in favor of modern industrial techniques taking root. Agriculture is the most important economic sector. It accounts for about 65% of the GDP and employs 65% of the workforce. Livestock alone contributes about 40% to GDP and more than 50% of export earnings.
  According to the Central Bank of Somalia, about 80% of the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists, who keep camels, goats, sheep and cattle. The herders also gather resins and gums to supplement their income.
  Camel, sheep and goat herding are the main types of local pastoralism, particularly in the northern part of the country. Livestock include the Somali goat and Somali sheep. The Somali goat is used primarily for the production of meat. Both males and females have horns, although females are often polled. The goats are drought tolerant and, when milked, can each yield one to three kilograms of milk daily, even when access to water is limited. The Somali sheep is the direct forebear of the Blackhead Persian, the latter of which was bred in South Africa between the late 19th century to early 20th century and has been extensively used for crossbreeding in many tropical areas.  It belongs to the fat-tail type, and both of the breed's genders are polled. The animal is mainly reared for meat production, and is a major export of the Somalian economy, particularly to the Arabian peninsula.
  With the advantage of being located near the Arabian peninsula, Somali traders have increasingly begun to challenge Australia's traditional dominance over the Gulf Arab livestock and meat market, offering quality animals at very low prices. In response, Gulf Arab states have started to make strategic investments in the country, with Saudi Arabia building livestock export infrastructure and the United Arab Emirates purchasing large farmlands. Most livestock is exported through the northern ports of Bosaso and Berbera. In March 2013, livestock traders also resumed exports from the southern Port of Mogadishu. After inspection at a newly constructed animal quarantine facility in Mogadishu, 13,000 goats and 2,435 camels were sent to markets in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
  A ten-year-old manufacturing, distributing, wholesale and import/export company, the Bosaso Tannery processes wet salted, dry salted, wet blue, limed, pickled, and air/frame dried sheep and goat hides and skin. It has some of the highest quality natural skins on the continent. The firm exports a little over 90,000 tonnes of hides and skins every year from Bosaso to Ethiopia, Turkey, Pakistan, India, China and Italy. Raw camel hides and sheep and goat skin are also dispatched to the United Arab Emirates. The wet blue type is exported to the Middle East and various parts of Europe. As of 2012, the company is moving toward ready-made leather production for eventual exportation to consumer markets in the Middle East and other areas.
  In 2007, the Burao city authority in collaboration with development organizations and local traders opened the Burco Meat and Produce complex. One year in the making, the market has two main halls and can accommodate more than 2,000 merchants. In conjunction with the Italian government, the Puntland authorities are also slated to open a new livestock market in Galkayo.
  In June 2014, the European Union (EU) and African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) jointly launched the new Reinforcing Animal Health Services in Somalia (RAHS) project in Mogadishu. A 4 million EUR (US$5.4 million) program, it aims to promote livestock production for over 250,000 local pastoralists, further strengthen the capacity, quality, access and sustainability of national animal health services delivery, and sustain exportation. RAHS is also expected to support private sector development initiatives in the livestock industry, and to enhance public-private partnerships.
  According to the FAO, Somalia exported a record 5 million units of livestock to markets in the Gulf region in 2014. Valued
caption: Machines at a Bosaso Tannery workshop.
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