Altai Consulting – PEACE Project – December 08 Page 1 Afghanistan Livestock Market Assessment 1st Quarter Report December 2008 For Survey Period October-November 2008 Survey commissioned by the Afghanistan PEACE Project for the major livestock markets of Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Jalalabad Herat “Ganj Market”, November 2008Altai Consulting – PEACE Project – December 08 Page 2 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 Objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 5 a. Design and Testing of Questionnaires ............................................................................ 5 b. Determination of Attendance Levels, Market Volume, and Selection of Interviewees .......... 5 c. Distribution of Interviews .............................................................................................. 6 d. Structure of the Report ................................................................................................. 6 Results: Livestock Markets ........................................................................................................... 7 a. Profiles and Characteristics ........................................................................................... 7 b. Market Size & Volume of Animals .................................................................................. 9 Results: Market Dynamics .......................................................................................................... 12 a. Sales Prices ............................................................................................................... 13 b. Market Prices ............................................................................................................. 15 c. Trade Routes ............................................................................................................. 17 d. Market Chain ............................................................................................................. 20 Results: Market Players .............................................................................................................. 23 a. Ethnicity .................................................................................................................... 23 b. Way of Life ................................................................................................................ 25 c. Activity ...................................................................................................................... 25 d. Ownership of Activity .................................................................................................. 26 e. Income ..................................................................................................................... 26 f. Economic Role played by Kuchi Traders ....................................................................... 27 First Quarter Summary ............................................................................................................... 29 Appendix 1 – Market Maps ......................................................................................................... 30 Appendix 2 – Dari/English Glossary ............................................................................................. 34 Appendix 3 – Questionnaires ...................................................................................................... 36 Altai Consulting – PEACE Project – December 08 Page 3 Introduction It is widely recognized that improving livestock production in Afghanistan is important for stabilizing the country’s economy. Developing sustainable livestock production practices will require several components acting in unison. These include delivery of animal health services; adoption of effective rangeland policies; research and the development of rangeland management plans; production of supplement feed sources; resolution of conflict and access issues; and a good understanding of the country’s livestock market. Efforts are underway to implement many of these components. Information regarding Afghanistan’s livestock market, however, is limited. Currently, there are conflicting opinions about who are the major contributors to Afghanistan’s livestock market; who might be responsible for setting market prices; and what is the actual volume of animals traded in the different markets throughout the country. There are those who believe that the Kuchi nomads of Afghanistan are the major contributors over others; and those that purport that it is the buyers who set the price. To what extent Pakistan is a supplier of livestock is also little understood, as is the volume and makeup of livestock traded throughout the year. In 2000, Thieme and Suttie (2000) reported that Kuchi nomads owned one-third of the total number of livestock in Afghanistan.1 The Kuchi rely primarily on Afghanistan’s rangelands for forage production throughout the year; and on traders to deliver their goods to the market. It is unknown to what extent they support the economy indirectly, through sales to villagers. In July 2006, the University of California-Davis and Texas A&M University (TAMU) began implementation of a US-AID funded project with the aim of improving livestock production and stabilizing the economy in Afghanistan. Currently, the Afghanistan PEACE2 Project is engaged in helping to draft effective rangeland policies; conduct research and institutionalize technologies aimed at improving management of Afghanistan’s rangelands; improving human capacity through the provision of training opportunities in conflict resolution and mitigation; and support of economic diversification efforts. The Afghanistan PEACE Project is also engaged in researching Afghanistan’s livestock industry, to better direct policy and planning efforts. The data presented here is from a study that had the aim of determining who are the major suppliers of livestock to Afghanistan’s markets and who might be responsible for