Timorese Cattle - a domestic product for an international market.

Peace Dividend Trust's (PDT) Micro Matchmaking (M3) rural business development and facilitation team has been working on facilitating the sale of Timorese cattle to Indonesian buyers for nearly two years.  This is a business activity which has a long history over the past decades as Indonesian appetites for "beef on the hoof" have expanded with its population growth.  However recent events have broken down communication links both inside and outside the country.  PDT is working hard to restore these links and promote business across the rural districts of Timor-Leste.  An increase in business correlates to job creation and wealth generation.

Since 2008 PDT has been assisting the owner of Suai based RAFLIMA (Tafara) Cattle, Mr. Rosito Manek, to source cattle for an Atambua (West Timor, Indonesia) based buyer  (Alowisius Lay, owner of UD Pratama in Atambua).  PDT has also been assisting in sourcing cattle from Mr. Casmiro Fernando, a Bobonaro supplier.  To view RAFLIMA's BuildingMarkets.org profile click here.

PDT Cova Lima has facilitated the sale of 680 head of cattle from local ranchers to Mr. Manek with an estimated value of $185,150. Mr. Manek then exports the cattle to UD Pratama in Indonesia. This month (November 2009), Mr. Manek has 300 more cows available to sell to Atambua, but is awaiting a new license to export from the government of Timor-Leste.

Meanwhile PDT Bobonaro has facilitated the sale of 350 head of cattle from local ranchers to Mr. Fernando with an estimated value of $70,955. Mr. Fernando then exports the cattle to UD Pratama in Atambua.  See below for Bobonaro cattle ready for sale.

Mr. Manek and Mr. Fernando were already exporting cows to Atambua but wanted to export on a larger scale. PDT M3 teams in Covalima and Bobonaro assisted the two middlemen in locating and purchasing cattle across their respective districts, resulting in a marked increase in sales and a cash injection into rural Timor-Leste.

RAFLIMA has a website as well - 

For more information contact Ilidio da Costa Ximenes via iximenes[at]pdtglobal.org or timor-leste[at]pdtglobal.org

PDT Micro Matching activities are funded by AusAID and Eni.