daniel chigunwe
Conrad Mupesa
Mash West Bureau
The requirements of officers in the Veterinary Services Department are being provided for as they are critical towards meeting livestock growth targets by eliminating or ameliorating deaths from animal diseases.
Already veterinary officers along with other officers in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development have been equipped with motor cycles and yesterday a programme was launched to make sure the dip-tank attendants had bicycles to get to their places of work.
Zimbabwe is eyeing a six million herd of cattle by the end of this year end and one of eight million by 2025.
The nation, has managed to fight January Diseases and has reduced tick-borne related mortality rates by over 45 percent in 2020 to 2021 and over 35 percent in the year 2021 to 2022.
This success has been a result of the committed work of 1 000 dip tank attendants countrywide. Government continues to meet its obligation towards civil servants’ needs and over 1 000 bicycles have been availed by the President Mnangagwa administration to dip tank attendants throughout the nation.
Launching the national bicycle capacitation programme at Chinyabowa Dip Tank in Zvimba’s Ward 27 yesterday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera said the Government would continue to resource its staff so that set targets are met.
Chinyabowa is one of many dip tanks that have been built or rehabilitated by Zvimba Rural District Council in the area to complement government’s efforts in the fight against livestock diseases.
Most of the diptanks have been constructed and or renovated using devolution funds with the community providing labour and bricks.
Said Dr Basera: “President Emmerson Mnangagwa has always been forthcoming to our plight. He availed over 7 000 motorbikes to the veterinary and Agritex officers. These bicycles we launching are also part of the extension delivery and extension services capacitation programme.
“You are the frontline and foot soldiers who are making sure that the dip tanks that are critical in the fight against livestock diseases are manned. It is our commitment as Government and ministry to ensure that all our staff are capacitated.” The Ministry, he added, was going to ensure that the dip tank attendants were given electronic data tablets to enhance their perfomance and improve communication.
The oficial launch at Chinyabowa saw 116 bicycles being distributed to the dip tank attendants in the entire province while the remainder of 884 is to be distributed in the other seven rural provinces of the country.
Beneficiaries of the programme lauded the Government for availing the bicycles as this was going to ameliorate the time they took travelling to diptanks they are responisble for.
Mr Nicholas Katurura a dip tank attendant from Karoi’s Kapiri area said he used to walk at least 30 kilometres to the dip tank to conduct his duties.
“I joined the Ministry in 2006 and it has been difficult for me as the dip tanks that I supervise are far away. The closest is at least 20 kilometres and required me to wake up early each time we had to conduct the exercise,” he said.
Another beneficiary, a female dip tank attendant from Makonde district, Ms Tendai Zulu, said while they appreciated the gesture by the Government, it was her wish that they are also given motorbikes considering the distant that they have to travel.
Newly appointed Public Service, Labour and Social Service Development Deputy Minister and Zvimba West Legislator, Mercy Dinha who also attended the launch, assured the civil servants that the government was going to meet the needs of its workers.
Dr Basera, also took time to explain the various models and initiatives that the Second Republic undertook since 2019 to increase the livestock herd which include artificial insemination and the Presidential Livestock Tick Greese Programme among other programmes.
“We also have climate-smart livestock options that include goat rearing and production. Our target, under the Presidential Goat Programme, is to reach six million goats by 2025 from the current 4,8 million,” he said.
Under the programme, each of the 35 000 village heads in the country are going to benefit from a he-goat that will be used for crossbreeding.
The launch was attended by the provincial veterinary services directors from all the eight rural provinces with the veterinary department’s Chief Director, Dr Josphat Nyika saying the Zimbabwean government had made huge strides to ensure that dip tanks are increased from 250 before independence to over 4 500 after independence.
Currently, 3 800 are working effectively with the government putting measures for the rehabilitation of the remaining 700.
Online Reporter
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