8/8/2010 — BERNAMA
The country’s first public auction for Dorper sheep at the Agropolitan Pekan project site in Runchang here today received an overwhelming response from bidders from all over country.
Fifty bidders took part in the auction, far exceeded its target of 20 bidders, said East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingham Issace John.
He said about 500 sheep classified into six categories were offered to the public, farmers and breeders at the auction which started at 11am.
The categories were male lambs for slaughter, male lambs for breeding, female lambs for slaughter, female lambs for breeding, culled ewes for slaughter and culled rams for slaughter.
“The bidders were willing to bid tens of thousands of ringgit for 10 sheep and this was beyond our own expectation,” he said after the auction organised by the ECERDC in collaboration with the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) here Sunday.
The Dorper sheep is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian breeds raised under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Agropolitan Pekan project.
Touted as one of the most fertile of the sheep breeds with potential lambing intervals of only eight months, the Dorper sheep are well-adapted to various climates and conditions.
Jebasingham said the first bidding for 10 male lambs for breeding alone received bidding up to RM14,500 as the opening price was RM4,500.
He said the ECERDC expected to collect nearly RM300,000 in revenue from the auction, way above its target of RM120,000.
He said the auction would be an annual affair at Agropolitan Pekan which was set to become the biggest Dorper sheep producer in Asia with the production of 25,000 sheep in five years.