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Agriculture Reporter
THE agriculture sector will be among the major beneficiaries from the ongoing Beitbridge Border post modernisation programme once construction of the plant and animal quarantine centre currently underway is completed.
Other than playing a pivotal role in the process of livestock production, the centre will also help enhance the country’s capacity to control exports and imports of agricultural products.
The Government in partnership with the Zimborders Consortium is spearheading the construction of the facility as part of the on-going US$300 million border transformation initiative. The establishment of the facility, which is situated five kilometres north of the border post comes at a time the need for laboratories that carry out necessary analyses on the spot is growing.
Zimborders Consortium’s chief executive officer, Mr Francois Diedrechsen said they were putting final touches on the facility.
“The centre is basically completed. We are now working on a few final touches, after which we will hand it over to the Government for occupation,” he said.
The facility will boast various laboratories with special focus on animal health, general hazards and farming-related equipment that will be examined for conformity with imports and exports regulations.
Some of the laboratories will be managed by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Department of Veterinary Services, Agriculture Plant, and the National Biotech Laboratory.
Livestock Farmers Association chairman, Mr Sifiso Sibanda said it was crucial for the country to have such a facility at Beitbridge Border post since it is a nexus of regional and international trade in Africa.
“You will appreciate that our neighbour South Africa has a good number of animal breeds that people may choose to import in place of straws of semen for artificial insemination and this facility makes it possible,” said Mr Sibanda.
The practice is common in Matabeleland region and Zimbabwe as a whole, added Mr Sibanda.
The facility will make it easy for residents to bring in animals or take out animals given that there are some farmers who now sell animals to South Africa. This holding and processing facility will play a crucial role in the process.
Beitbridge’s Health and Plant Inspector-in-charge, Mr Levy Gama recently observed that the new facility would improve efficiency considering that all laboratory analyses would be done on the spot.
In the past samples would be taken and sent elsewhere, especially to Harare, which was time-consuming.
“This is a welcome development, which will enhance the ease of doing business. The facility has labs and incinerators for us to do the laboratory analyses or destroy rejected products,” he added.
The facility will also serve citrus and horticulture farmers since the necessary checks for exports and imports will be done there.
A livestock farmer from Mazunga area, Ward 14 of Beitbridge, Mr Gift Mbedzi said the new facility gave hope to livestock farmers adding that it would boost their quest to land better livestock genetics. The centre will also make the movement of livestock easy either through imports or exports, he explained.
“It will strengthen security measures on animal health,” said Mr Mbedzi.
Another livestock farmer and senator for Beitbridge, Cde Tambudzani Mohadi said the completion of the centre was the fulfilment of pre-election promises to deliver on people centred economic development policies by the Second Republic.
She said agriculture was a major anchor of the success of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1).
“This is a huge boost for the community in Matabeleland South whose economy is anchored on livestock production. Diseases will be detected, controlled and monitored closer to home,” she said.
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