adminOne of the experts who is a director of Livestock Zone, a company of consultants on agricultural issues, Dr Mbuso Moyo yesterday said farmers should ensure their cattle survive the drought.
He urged farmers to form co-operatives, sell a few of their cattle and establish feedlots to save their animals, which have already started dying due to lack of pastures.
His remarks follow pleas from traditional leaders and livestock farmers in Matabeleland South for the Government to extend the grain loan scheme to include livestock feed or provide a $10 million fund to save livestock in the province.
Unscrupulous cattle buyers have descended on parts of the province and are taking advantage of villagers’ desperation to buy cattle for as little as $100 per beast.
Normally, prices average $450 per animal. Most water bodies have dried up due to successive droughts.
“We just need to show our farmers the value of the cattle they have. There are more than 500 000 cattle in Matabeleland South with a conservative total value of about $250 million. If farmers form groups now, before their cattle are further affected by drought, they may need to sell only about 10 percent of these beasts to buy enough stockfeed to keep the rest in prime condition until the next rainy season,” said Dr Moyo.
He said drought could kill up to 30 percent of the animals if farmers do not find alternative feed urgently.
“There are signs already that we are approaching a severe drought. Big butcheries in Bulawayo are already taking advantage of farmers’ ignorance to establish feedlots. They know that very soon, they will be buying cattle for a song from desperate farmers. Farmers need to act now to avoid being reduced to beggars, where they should be kings,” said Dr Moyo.
He said Livestock Zone was bringing together stakeholders to come up with a long-term mitigation plans to save livestock and ensure farmers reap the huge benefits they deserved.
“We are meeting at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce offices on Tuesday morning with stakeholders. Farmers, financial institutions, insurance companies and other stakeholders are invited to the meeting. We want to establish a forum for exchange of ideas,” said Dr Moyo.
Another agricultural consultant who declined to be named said cows were usually the most affected by drought because they needed more food to produce milk for their calves.
“They are the ones that die in large numbers. Farmers need to save the cows in order to grow the herd. They should wean all calves and farmers separate cows from the bulls so that they do not get pregnant during this lean spell,” said the consultant.
The consultant said livestock development committees could be used as focal points for the formation of co-operatives so that farmers could benefit from economies of scale when buying feed and dipping chemicals.
“If farmers could be taught to appreciate the level of wealth they are sitting on, they could become richer and produce more to feed the country. Surely, with a value of more than $250 million in Matabeleland South alone, private companies and financial institutions can, with the proper approach, be made to invest in this big industry,” he said
In an interview, the Governor and Resident Minister for Matabeleland South, Angeline Masuku agreed with the experts.
“The illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries make it impossible for the Government to shoulder all the country’s burdens. It is not Government’s wish to see the national herd dwindling. It is important for farmers to also work out solutions,” said Governor Masuku.
She said farmers should not just wait for assistance from Government but should find alternative ways of saving their cattle.
“Why should we wait for livestock to be affected to the extent that the value is reduced to $100 before we start selling?” asked Governor Masuku.
She said villagers should also take some of the blame for lack of pasture, as they were the ones who often started veld fires that destroyed grazing land.
“Our land is no longer as fertile as it used to be because of these fires. They deprive the soil of essential vegetation cover, which should die naturally to fertilise the soil,” said Governor Masuku.
Online Reporter