Product differentiation during beef production can bring farmers up to twice their buying price if they exercise proper handling, Kenya Markets Trust's sector manager of livestock Boniface Kaberia has said.
This means that an animal, when well-taken care, can fetch a markup of more than 50 per cent of the value it was purchased at when sold in cuts.
Kaberia said cattle breeders can benefit if they understood value addition to different animal cuts.
“Meat is just not meat. Different parts including the chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round, brisket, foreshank, and short plate fetch very different market prices,” he said at the Mugie annual Rangelands Agriculture show in Laikipia.
He said high-end markets benefit from packaging and selling the beef in cuts.
“Cattle keepers need to understand that how they handle an animal before its slaughter will affect the quality of the cut," he said, giving the instance where farmers beat the animal on the hip and back. When slaughtered, it will fetch a lower price in the end market since it will have bruises.
He also advised the farmers to avoid selling animals which were recently injected, because the swelling of injection is visible for up to 28 days.
The annual show brings together value chain players to discuss sustainable livestock and rangeland management. It has supported the commercialization of livestock value chains and integration of pastoralist into the mainstream red meat value chains.
KMT seeks to promote a market-led approach to sustainable development and profile investment opportunities that unlock the potential of the sector. This is by providing and promoting a market place, livestock value chains services, and other accountable extension services.
