adminFarming Correspondent
LIVESTOCK production has been recommended as an alternative for farmers to compensate for the poor rainy season which left the greater part of the country with poor crops.This was said by the Division of Livestock Production and Development Department at a livestock exhibition show which was held at Gombakomba (Ward 6) Primary School on Tuesday.
Speaking at the exhibition, DLPD livestock extension supervisor, Mr Themba Sithole, said breeding of animals would go a long away in ensuring food security in the country if well implemented.
“Farmers need to take livestock production seriously because the country did not receive the best of rains. Instead of being over dependent on other countries on food, we can produce our own. Apart form being a source of food in our homes, livestock production is in its own right a way of supporting the Food Security and Nutrition cluster of the Zim-Asset blueprint.
“Everyone has the responsibility of seeing to the positive development of Zimbabwe. Farmers need to strive for excellence in all their activities. It is a good thing that livestock production does not demand much apart from diligence. We have the animals in our midst and we should utilise them so that we can benefit from them from household level up to national level,” he said.
He also encouraged farmers to consider market gardening as a way of keeping an income flow.
A representative from Veterinary Distributors, Mr Nzwisisai Masvino urged farmers who are involved in livestock breeding to be serious about vaccinating their animals saying when healthy, animals tend to reproduce better.
Said Masvino:“It is very important for animals to be vaccinated so that they remain healthy. Farmers should desist from the habit of killing animals when they fall sick because this affects the growth of herds. Instead farmers should diligently vaccinate their animals to avoid these problems.
“The Veterinary Distributors recently introduced a new vaccine called Instrumed which ensures that animals will reproduce more than once per year. This will help enlarge herds as well pave way for food security which is of utmost significance for the nation.”
The winning farmer at the exhibition, Mrs Margaret Musindo, said her secret to healthy livestock was constant vaccination and diligent monitoring of the animals she owns.
“For the exhibition I brought seven cattle, guinea fowls, broilers, road runners and a female brooding roadrunner with 10 chicks. Livestock production can be labour intensive, but very profitable. For the best results, constant vaccination is essential.
“I urge other farmers to seriously consider animal breeding. For those who are already into it, I urge them to be more productive so that they can produce healthy animals. Apart from developing the nation, livestock production is also a reliable source of income and through it, I have been transformed into an independent woman,” she said.
The 50-year-old Mrs Musindo walked away with a combo of a knapsack, shovel, Ivermectin and Levoxy suspension vaccines and syringes, two water troughs and tick buster for her livestock.
Online Reporter