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in the region is under threat of being decimated by lack of pastures, the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Donald Khumalo has said.
He said the cattle herd in the region continued to fall and the situation was unsustainable.
Mr Khumalo called on farmers in the region to “make noise” until their pleas to declare the plight of cattle a national disaster are heard.
Matabeleland region, especially Matabeleland South province, was a major beef producing area but the herd has fallen significantly over the past 20 years.
Matabeleland is estimated to have less than 1,5 million head of cattle down from 2,5 million in 1992.
Of the current herd, only 300 000 was for commercial purposes, compared to one million in 1992.
In an interview at the official opening of the stockfeed centre in Bulawayo on Friday, Mr Khumalo urged livestock farmers to learn from what cotton growers had done and achieved. Cotton farmers resisted prices offered by ginners until government intervened and set minimum prices for cotton lint.
“Cotton farmers used to face a number of challenges, especially marketing their products, and we urged them to form partnerships so as to foster success.
“Due to that, we encourage livestock farmers to do likewise and bring back the glory the industry used to have,” said Mr Khumalo.
He said since the Government had not yet declared the state of livestock a disaster they had to make as much noise as possible so that their pleas did not fall on deaf ears and have the problem rectified.
A farmer from Matabeleland South Mr Tieho Ncube said lack of pastures and water was contributing to the decline of the national herd.
“Pastures are dwindling very fast and there is no water for livestock to drink as we are competing for the limited sources of water with these animals.
“To make matters worse, our livestock is quarantined and cannot move around looking for water and pastures making them thin and difficult to sell while others are dying,” he said.
Mr Ncube said he wished Government could intervene as the majority of farmers in Matabeleland depended on livestock for sustaining their livelihoods.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu said the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development should purchase supplementary feed for livestock farmers who had been affected by drought.
He said the ministries of Agriculture and Environment had to work together to save the national herd from dying because of lack of pasture.
Online Reporter