however only 7,385.3 ha (equal to 3.7 percent) were utilized during the 2015 season. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Songea DC has the largest irrigation area (34.3%), followed by Nyasa DC (25.4%) and Tunduru DC (17.3%). Madaba DC has the smallest amount of land used for irrigated agriculture (3.7 percent). Paddy, horticulture crops, maize, and sweet potatoes were the main crops irrigated. Livestock and dairy The number of cattle increased by 517.1% and the number of sheep increased by 25.7 % between 2008 and 2012. In terms of animals, goats (272,147) outnumbered pigs (222,420), cattle (177,041), sheep (30,625), and donkeys in the area (997). Tunduru DC had a 33.3 percent share of the total cattle population in the area, followed by Mbinga DC (20.8 percent), Songea DC (13.7 percent), and Songea MC (2.5 percent). There were reportedly 181,700 ha of land suitable for grazing livestock in the area, of which about 80,600 ha (44.4 percent) were actually used. In terms of facilities for animal health, there were 48 cattle dips in 2015, however only 16 of them were operational. The value of livestock sales climbed from roughly TZS 1.5 billion in 2013 to TZS 7.8 billion in 2015, with sales of indigenous cattle and goats accounting for the majority (85%) of the rise (12.3 percent). There is a chance to raise the percentage of sales value and the quantity of pigs and poultry. The number of units sold for hides and skins grew from 31,044 pieces in 2014 (worth TZS 203,338,200) to 43,020 pieces in 2015. (valued at TZS 259,840,800). Despite a drop in milk output from 40,891 liters in 2014 to 37,738 liters in 2015, the region saw an increase in revenue thanks to an increase in market prices from TZS 1,000 to 1,300 per liter. Industry The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) states that the classification of businesses as Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and Large is based on the capital expenditure and number of employees: Micro industries are defined as those that employ fewer than five people and have less than TZS 5 million in capital; Small-scale industries are defined as those that have more capital than TZS 5 million but less than TZS 200 million and employ fewer than 50 people; and Medium-scale industries are defined as those. There were 5,263 small-scale businesses in 2015, and 49.9% of them were engaged in milling grains,