The Namibian cattle industry is the mainstay of the agricultural sector, with an annual cash income to cattle farmers south of the veterinary cordon fence (SVCF) of N$1.7 to N$2 billion. Continuous increase in production cost at a higher rate than increase in producer prices leads to a negative real producer prices and a reduction in long term viability. Namibia has an abundance of game, which increased significantly in the past decades. Approximately 90% of the numbers of wildlife are located outside formally proclaimed conservation areas, while more than 80% of the numbers of the larger wildlife species are found on privately owned farms which comprise about 44% of the total land area of the country. Trophy hunting in Namibia resulted in an increase in value of game in Namibia. With the increase in value which land owners realised from game, the increased preservation of game resulted in an increase in game numbers. The total number of hunting clients visiting Namibia increased from 3,371 during 1998 to 7,599 during 2007. A drastic decline was experienced during 2008, with only 4,449 hunters visited Namibia in 2009 (41% decline), due to the worldwide recession in 2008. The estimated and unofficial numbers from 2011 to 2013 indicates that the numbers of hunters visiting Namibia stabilized at ±5,500 per annum for the period 2011 to 2013. 659 farms are registered as hunting farms with a total area of 3.5 million hectares in the traditional cattle producing areas.