Government allocates 30 tractors for hay baling

GOVERNMENT has allocated 30 tractors from the 3 100 Presidential Tractor Scheme to support hay baling in the southern parts of the country as part of efforts to protect the national herd from the effects of drought.

Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Midlands and Masvingo provinces collectively hold 60 percent of the country’s communal livestock. These areas have been among the hardest hit by recurrent droughts, prompting Government to implement deliberate measures to safeguard livestock.

Matabeleland South was one of the worst-affected provinces in last year’s drought, which resulted in the loss of over 19 000 cattle. The most affected districts included Mangwe, Bulilima, Matobo, Insiza, and Gwanda while Beitbridge and Umzingwane recorded the least number of livestock deaths.

The recent heavy rains received across most parts of the country are expected to improve pastures. However, authorities have warned that supplementary feeding remains critical for livestock farmers to prevent further losses.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, said the country will receive 3 100 tractors from Belarus under the Presidential Tractor Scheme, with 30 of them specifically set aside for hay baling in southern region.

“Of the 3 100 tractors that His Excellency, President Dr ED Mnangagwa has secured under a special scheme, we want to dedicate 30 to Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Midlands, and Masvingo provinces where more than 60 percent of our communal cattle herd is concentrated.

“These tractors will be used to mow along roadsides and other open areas to ensure communities have hay for their livestock. The tractors will be received next week,” he said.

Dr Masuka stressed that the hay baling initiative is expected to cushion livestock farmers as they recover from one of the most severe droughts since independence.

“We were in the worst drought in 43 years last year. It was estimated that 2,3 million cattle out of the 5,7 million cattle were at risk.

“We came up with a lot of interventions, first starting with information dissemination that livestock had to be a business for it to grow and generate some revenue and be able to buy supplementary feeds and disease control and drought adaptation measures,” he said.

“We came up with drought mitigation centres and all that. We said we go beyond that and use this season and similar seasons to cut and bale hay for communities because livestock has become a business.”
Meanwhile, Dr Masuka expressed concern over the impact of the ongoing heavy rains, revealing that 130 dams across the country have been damaged, posing a threat to availability of water for both agricultural and domestic use. —@nqotshili