adminDue to these factors, over the last few decades focus was put on developing the cattle industry and hence the setting up of the Cold Storage Company headquarters in Bulawayo for it to be closer to most of the cattle producers.
A combination of drought, cattle rustling and poor financing of the sector has seen Matabeleland being overtaken by Masvingo as the leading cattle producer.
Livestock farmers in Matabeleland at the weekend met in Bulawayo and called on the Government to revive the cattle financing scheme as part of reviving the agricultural sector and the economy.
The CSC used to run a cattle finance scheme whereby farmers got access to cattle and the company got its money when the farmers sold their livestock to the parastatal. Many farmers who treated their cattle rearing as a business benefited immensely from the scheme.
What has tended to happen, especially in Matabeleland, is that communal farmers lose many of their cattle to drought and those that decide to do so sell them cheaply to people from areas with pasture outside the region. This has seen the cattle herd decline over the years in the region.
What is of worry though is that this gradual decline in the number of cattle will lead to a rise in beef prices in future due to a shortage. While other provinces could be celebrating having overtaken Matabeleland in cattle production, the cruel fact is that as a country our cattle industry is not growing since the herd is declining.
What has happened over the years is that cattle have been redistributed from one area to the other while a huge number in communal areas was lost to drought.
This, therefore, calls for the importation of livestock to boost our stocks in the country. The number of cattle can only be seen as representing growth, once it surpasses our highest figure to date. We believe farmers have a pertinent demand for the Government to ensure that it funds the cattle industry. The manufacturing industry is being loaned funds to revive firms and we believe a similar treatment should be given to the livestock farmers. Also, it is important to fully exploit the potential in other smaller livestock such as sheep and goats. What is clear, however, is that these have also declined in number due to disease, drought and theft.
A number of non-governmental organisations have over the years bought many goats in Matabeleland to support orphans under their programmes in other regions and we believe there is a need to support the region in ensuring that it does not end up having to import livestock especially due to the challenges of drought.
This year has been a bad year and it is imperative to have a financing scheme in place to feed livestock up to the next rainfall season. We hear the Government put aside $6,5 million this year towards cattle financing but we believe other players can come on board to assist farmers especially in the face of the drought. In crop farming, outgrower schemes have worked very well where companies finance farmers and then buy their crop.
A similar model should also be explored by abattoirs especially for farmers who are into commercial farming and do cattle fattening. We can only ensure security of supplies in future by planning now how to finance and therefore grow our livestock herd and we believe importation of livestock for distribution to farmers who would then pay over a period would be one way of guaranteeing us real growth. With adequate financing and training to rear livestock commercially Matabeleland can once again reclaim top spot in the country, since this is what its veld can support.
Online Reporter