🇦🇫 The cattle breeds of Afghanistan

Cattle are one of several kinds of livestock kept across Afghanistan, alongside sheep, goats, camels, horses and donkeys. They are raised for meat and dairy rather than for work, and animal husbandry remains a traditional livelihood in all 34 provinces.

• Cattle are among Afghanistan's main livestock, with sheep, goats, camels, horses and donkeys
• Camels, horses and donkeys work; cattle are kept for meat and dairy
• Over 350,000 people work in Afghanistan's livestock sector
• Weddings, zakat and Eid al-Adha boost livestock sales
• The Qosh Tepa Canal and new dams are expected to expand animal husbandry

Cattle in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's cattle belong to a wide mix of farm animals. Husbandry is a traditional way of life found in all 34 provinces and still matters to the national economy. Alongside cattle, the herd includes sheep, goats, camels, horses and donkeys. Only the camels, horses and donkeys are kept for work; the rest, cattle among them, are raised for meat and for dairy and other products. Pig keeping and pork eating are absent, the country being wholly Islamic. Sheep wool is what supplies rugs and clothing, so cattle are not the leading animal here. More than 350,000 people work in the livestock sector.

Regions and communities

Animal husbandry is described as present in every one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, so cattle keeping is not confined to a single belt or people. It is called a traditional way of life across the country. The largest and most modern poultry farms are named in Balkh, Helmand, Kandahar, Khost and Nangarhar. Poultry is a separate branch of the same sector.

Milk, butter and beef

Cattle are raised for consumption and for dairy. Milk, butter and ghee come from the dairy side of the herd. Sheep wool, taken at slaughter, becomes Afghan rugs and parts of Afghan clothing. Skins are turned into leather, and hide processing and a leather industry are part of the picture, with reports of slow markets and of the trade carrying on anyway. Beef appears only as part of the general consumption of livestock.

Festivals, fairs and faith

Three occasions are named as lifting the sale of livestock: weddings, zakat and Eid al-Adha. Zakat is the annual Islamic alms payment. Eid al-Adha is the festival at which animals are sacrificed, and cattle are among the animals sold for it. This is a market effect rather than a cattle show or contest, and no cattle fair, race or breed parade is described.

Today

Roughly 350,000 people work in Afghanistan's livestock sector. The completion of the Qosh Tepa Canal and of new dams is expected to increase animal husbandry sharply. Poultry is the busiest modern branch, with about 15,000 farms, some of the largest in Balkh, Helmand, Kandahar, Khost and Nangarhar, and laying hens brought in from Iran. Cattle sit within the older, smaller-scale part of the sector.