Govt moves in to save Mat South livestock

Mr Sibanda, who also chairs the sub-committee, said the stockfeed would be transported closer to farmers for easy access.

 

He urged non-governmental organisations to also consider introducing stockfeed packages for animals under their drought relief programmes as part of complementing Government efforts under the livestock survival scheme.

“We are calling on NGOs with something to do with livelihoods to come in and support Government to save livestock from continuously dying of starvation. We also feel that the stockfeed should also be given to draught power,” said Mr Sibanda.

Matabeleland South has a population of 556 619 cattle and over the years farmers have been losing their livestock due to the recurrent droughts that continue to dog the province.

According to the Matabeleland South provincial livestock specialist in the Department of Livestock Production and Development Mr Ronald Veremu, farmers in the province have since the beginning of the year lost more than 500 cattle due to starvation.

“We continue to lose a lot of livestock in all the seven districts in the province due to lack of pastures.

According to our statistics we have so far recorded 535 deaths and Matobo District has the highest number of deaths with 314 cattle having succumbed to drought since January while  446 539 cattle are at risk across the province,” he said.

Last year between May and August, the province lost 2 000 cattle because of starvation.

Matabeleland South, which is conducive for cattle ranching, receives less than 450 millimetres of rainfall per year, the lowest annual rainfall compared to the rest of the country.

Speaking during the same meeting, the Matabeleland South provincial agronomist, Mr Innocent Nyathi, said the Government had also availed inputs in preparation for this year’s farming season.

“The Government has availed inputs for the farming season and Matabeleland South will get 926 tonnes of compound fertiliser, 1 852 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, 135 tonnes of maize, 92 tonnes of finger millet, 100 tonnes of sorghum and seven  tonnes of groundnuts.

“These inputs will be equally distributed to all the districts in the province although we feel they are not enough,” he said.

Matabeleland South Province, which has a population of 700 000, is in dire need of food aid.

Over the years, the province has been affected by droughts and communities have called for a lasting solution to produce and provide enough food reserves for the province.

Stakeholders attending the meeting also expressed concern over the poor state of major irrigation schemes across the province and urged Government and partners to urgently address the problem.

Most of the irrigation schemes are not working to full capacity largely because of the constant breakdown of engine pumps resulting in water shortages.