Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Correspondent
Government has intensified efforts to contain tick‑borne diseases affecting the national herd, targeting the procurement and distribution of close to 200 tonnes of dipping chemicals over the next three months.
The intervention follows Treasury’s release of funding for the importation of amitraz — the active ingredient in cattle‑dipping chemicals — to guarantee adequate supplies for the 5‑5‑4 dipping programme aimed at eradicating the brown tick.
Since the beginning of the current summer cropping season, Zimbabwe has lost approximately 10 000 cattle to tick‑borne diseases, underscoring the urgent need for sustained and coordinated dipping interventions.
During a tour of manufacturing operations at the AgroShape factory in Graniteside, Harare, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said Government had entered into supply arrangements with three private manufacturers, each allocated specific provinces to ensure efficient distribution.
With financial support from Treasury, AgroShape has already secured 28 tonnes of amitraz — enough to cover the Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West provinces — as nationwide distribution gathers momentum.
“Starting from last week and going into the next three months, we have enough acaricide in the country. Treasury managed to pay for the production of amitraz, which is the active ingredient in the cattle‑dipping process,” said Deputy Minister Marapira.
He said the supplies currently being distributed are adequate to sustain dipping programmes for the next three weeks, while additional consignments are being mobilised to ensure uninterrupted coverage throughout the next quarter.
“We are pushing the 5‑5‑4 dipping programme because now we have the product. We continue encouraging Treasury to release more funding so that processors can import the active ingredients,” he said.
Zimbabwe imports the active components used in the formulation of acaricides, with local manufacturers blending and distributing the final product to the provinces.
Deputy Minister Marapira said Government was working closely with the Department of Veterinary Services and private‑sector manufacturers to ensure adequate stocks and to decisively deal with the brown tick, identified as the major contributor to cattle mortality.
AgroShape director Mr Tonderai Mukubvu said the company was operating under a national framework agreement with Government and had the capacity to produce 5 000 tonnes of acaricides annually — significantly above current national requirements.
“We are currently running a national dipping programme with Government, and we appreciate the initiative to protect the national herd,” said Mr Mukubvu.
“Government provided funding to enable us to start the programme. Bulk production is already under way, and deliveries are currently taking place in different provinces.”
He said AgroShape is responsible for supplying Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West provinces, adding that adequate stocks are already in place in those regions.
Mr Mukubvu expressed confidence that cattle mortality rates would decline as the 5‑5‑4 dipping programme is fully implemented. “We are committed to ensuring that we protect the wealth of our people in their cattle,” he said.
