adminSithandazile Moyo Business Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the Matabeleland South livestock symposium are at an advanced stage with organisers of the event having secured the venue. “We are happy about the way preparations are progressing and we have since decided to use the Gwanda Agricultural Show grounds as the venue for the symposium,” said Simangaliphi Ngwabi, one of the organisers in an interview.
She said they have since received about 20 abstracts of speeches from people interested to present their papers and share experiences on how to improve the livestock sector.
“We have received almost 20 abstracts from those who want to present and share the knowledge of keeping livestock,” she said.
Ngwabi said the registration process was going on smoothly and they were expecting a huge turnout considering the level of response they were receiving.
The symposium focuses on addressing challenges faced by livestock farmers to ensure growth in the livestock sector.
“There is a need for serious interventions to try and address challenges facing the sector to ensure growth since livestock is the back bone of the agricultural sector in the dry and semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe,” said Ngwabi
The four-day symposium is scheduled for March 24 to 27 under the theme: “Sustainable livestock production to ensure food and protein security in-line with the changing world climate”.
In the 2014 National Budget, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the national herd has not improved significantly since the 1980s due to a number of factors that include inadequate research, erratic funding, coupled with persistent outbreaks of diseases.
He said government supports the rebuilding of the national herd including the establishment of livestock breeding centres, strengthening research and extension services, conservation of livestock genetic resources and generation and dissemination of information.
The on-going livestock development programme remains a priority targeting to raise the beef and dairy herd from the current 5,4 million and 27,000 to six million and 35,000 respectively by 2015.
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