• Burkina Faso to import 710 pregnant cattle from Brazil to modernise livestock
• Imported breeds boost milk yields, meat weight, and genetic improvement
• Government targets dairy self-sufficiency, meat exports, reduced imports

Burkina Faso will import 710 pregnant cattle from Brazil to support livestock producers, as part of a broader strategy to modernise its dairy and meat sectors.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries announced the purchase in a statement on Saturday, Jan. 24. The acquisition follows talks launched in June 2025 by the Center for the Promotion of Poultry Farming and Multiplication of High-Performance Animals (CPAMAP) with the Daniel Franco Institute (IDF), a Brazilian organisation known for its expertise in animal selection and sustainable breeding. Officials said the partnership aims to strengthen genetic improvement in the national herd.

The shipment will include Guzerá, Gir, Holstein and Nelore cattle. Dairy breeds can produce 15 to 40 litres of milk per day on average, the ministry said. Nelore, a beef breed, can weigh up to 1,100 kg at age five, it added.

Local dairy breeds in Burkina Faso yield an estimated 0.5 to 1.3 litres per animal per day. Authorities said the challenge will be to gradually spread the imported bloodlines among local breeders to raise productivity and strengthen food security.

“Brazil has expertise in breeding high-performance animals and shares similar climatic conditions with Burkina Faso. We believed animals from that country could adapt better,” said Ardiouma Sirima, director general of CPAMAP.

The genetic upgrade is part of a government push to build an industrial base for the milk and meat sectors.

Since 2025, Ouagadougou has pledged to reduce dependence on dairy imports. It followed up by inaugurating the state-owned company Faso Kosam last March, tasked with organising supply, processing and distribution of milk and dairy products.

Officials say Faso Kosam should help meet at least half of domestic dairy demand by 2030. FAO data show Burkina Faso imported an average of nearly 25,000 tonnes of dairy products per year between 2020 and 2024, including milk powder, concentrated whole milk, raw milk and butter. Those imports were worth about $29 million a year on average over the same period.

In the meat sector, the government aims to position Burkina Faso as a livestock meat exporter. The public agency Faso Abattoir was created last April to centralise oversight of slaughterhouses and improve standards.

Authorities also plan to rehabilitate existing slaughterhouses and build new processing units to expand capacity. Construction began in January 2026 on a slaughterhouse in the city of Banfora, costing nearly $5 million.

Burkina Faso’s livestock population totaled nearly 71 million animals in 2023, according to the national statistics agency INSD. Poultry accounted for 49.5%, followed by sheep (16.1%), goats (15.3%) and cattle (14%).

Stéphanas Assocle