Online Reporter
Lonster Mutata-Herald Correspondent
THE Government has intensified efforts to modernise the country’s livestock sector, with the rollout of a US$25 million Livestock Health and Infrastructure Facility.
The intervention is aimed at expanding livestock production, improving animal health management and accelerating the country’s drive towards a resilient and commercially competitive livestock industry.
The facility, being implemented under the Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), will finance the development of critical livestock infrastructure, including animal sheds, pens, feedlots, kraals, spray races, dip tanks and related machinery and equipment.
Speaking in Harare recently, Chief Director for the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Farm Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Engineer Edwin Zimunga, said the initiative forms part of Government’s broader thrust to modernise agricultural infrastructure and unlock the full potential of the livestock value chain.
“Under NDS2, Government is focused on modernising and upgrading livestock infrastructure through the Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan,” he said.
“The Livestock Health and Infrastructure Facility is concentrating on key infrastructure required for efficient livestock handling and production.
“The thrust is to ensure that we meet the country’s livestock production targets, particularly by increasing the national cattle herd by 2030.”
Eng Zimunga said the financing model had been designed to make capital-intensive infrastructure affordable to farmers, particularly smallholder and medium-scale producers who often struggle to access long-term finance.
Implemented under the Mechanisation Development Alliance Programme and Framework in partnership with the private sector, the facility requires farmers to pay a US$15 commitment fee, with the balance repayable over five years.
This allows beneficiaries to service the financing using returns from their livestock enterprises.
Eng Zimunga said the arrangement would enable more farmers to invest in modern livestock production systems without the burden of prohibitive upfront costs.
The intervention complements Government’s ongoing mechanisation drive, which has increasingly shifted beyond tractors and field equipment to encompass value chain infrastructure that enhances productivity, climate resilience and commercialisation across the agriculture sector.
Improved livestock infrastructure is expected to strengthen disease surveillance and control through better handling facilities, expand feedlot production, reduce post-production losses and improve the quality of animals destined for domestic and export markets.
The facility also dovetails with Government’s broader vision of transforming agriculture into an upper middle-income economy by 2030, through promoting investment, increasing productivity and supporting sustainable rural livelihoods.
Agriculture continues to anchor the country’s economic transformation agenda, with livestock remaining a critical pillar for household incomes, national food security, raw materials for industry and export earnings.
Authorities believe improved infrastructure, coupled with increased access to affordable financing and modern technologies, will accelerate growth across the livestock value chain while positioning farmers to operate on a more commercial and competitive footing.
