Smaller Holder Cattle Farmers-Sialum

Cattle herd rearing on the open field grassland



A cowboy and kid checking the herds for infection and diseases



Sialum is one of the major producer of cows in Papua New Guinea by small family and clan owned farms. Cow is reared on the grass land owned them. The villagers own at least two cows in this small holder farms. The cows are left on the grass land to roam and feed on the kunai grass. Weekly the  cowboys check for any infection or sick amongs the cattle herd. They move all the herd to a particular place called the stock yard to actually to the check ups. After two years a calf is ready as a steer or prime bull to be sold. The sales is either live cow or butchered into pieces, weight and sold. The Sialum smaller farmers prefer the live cow sales. Once their herds were exported to Philipines at a tune of $2 milion. The farmers still do not have an established market. Currently, they sell to either Ramu Sugar or Trukai Industry. They have expressed their oppinion to sell to the Krumbukari Nickle & Cobalt mine refinery catering company. Transport is a major obsticle to do their sales to this prospective customer.