The 26th annual provincial game auction held at the Willem Pretorius Reserve near Ventersburg in April this year highlighted the positive growth in the emerging game farming industry.
The two day event, presented by the Free State Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs in association with Tirhani Auctioneers, saw 865 animals from nature reserves across the province snatched up by bidders and game farmers from across the country.
On the first day 74 hunting packages were auctioned off for R 2.4-million consisting of trophy hunts, biltong hunts as well as Trophy Buffalo bulls hunts scheduled take place on eight of the 14 provincial nature reserves.
On the second day of the auction 491 live game of 16 different species including 23 disease free Buffalo, as well as a one three-and-a-half-year old white rhino which was auction off for R 90 000, were sold for R5.9-million.
The Free State province has an impressive number of game, estimated to be worth R 83-million. As part of the game management plan, which manages game population, an annual game auction is held.
“The province has a limited number of game reserves, most do not have natural predators and as part of conservation we scientifically calculate the carrying capacity of each game reserve to avoid over population.
The number of game auctioned in each reserve varies each year; we then auction off designed packages to game farmers and professional outfitters for both breeding and hunting purposes,” said Flip Crouse acting director for conservation at the department.
The game farming industry, which employs over 100 000 people in the country is a very lucrative industry with impressive long-term returns.
Entry into the game farming industry is fast becoming more accessible to those interested in reaping its fruitful rewards. Emerging game farmers in the province are accommodated in the province’s bid to grow the game farming industry.
The province has structures put in place to assist them. The government has a mentorship programme which connects emerging game farmers will well-established ones. Furthermore qualifying emerging farmers in the province are also loaned game to breed.
Tirhani Auctioneers is an auctioning company owned by Tirhani Mabunda. This is the third year since they have been hosting the auction. They are responsible for the marketing as well as the actual auction.
“I am very proud of my association with the Department Economic Development and Economic Affairs with regards to the annual auction. The department’s efforts in growing the game farming industry are very genuine and sustainable. When building something it is always important to avoid taking short cuts.
Emerging black farmers who are not at a level to buy game are regularly invited to the auction as part of their education about the industry.”
In the 2012/2013 Budget Vote speech, MEC Mamiki Qabathe mentioned that the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs is looking in the development of a Free State Game (Venison) Brand in which there is a interested European party that wants to invest in it by starting a deer farm in the province but also source deer and other game from other sources for export to the European market.
The department is also discussing the possibility of canning of deer and other game meat for local and export market. Game restaurants are also a venture that the department is looking into.
During the previous provincial game auction, Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs donated game to 13 emerging black game farmers and loaned 10 buffalos to Sipho Dube, the owner of Three Sisters Game Ranch in Smithfield.
They also donated 60 springbok and 10 zebra to four farmers in Thaba Phatswa, Koffiefontein, Zastron, and Bloemfontein respectively.
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