Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Sunday News Reporter
FARMERS have been urged to take precautions and seek expert guidance when making their own stock feed to avoid nitrate or prussic acid poisoning which causes internal suffocation of animals.
This comes at a time most farmers are carrying out urea treatment of wilted cereals stover also known as ukuvundisa amahlanga in IsiNdebele, a feed technology developed to improve the nutritive value of high fibrous crop residues for the efficient utilisation of available feed resources.
Stover are the leaves and stalks of field crops, such as maize, sorghum or soybean that are commonly left in a field after harvesting.
Giving an update on livestock management during El Nino-induced drought, Ministry of Lands Agriculture Fisheries Water and Rural Development’s Department of Livestock Production and Development Chief Livestock officer, Mr Wisdom Gunzvenzve said farmers need to seek proper guidance.
“During this particular period you might have wilted crops, be it maize or sorghum. There is always that danger especially when using sorghum stover of nitrate or prussic acid poisoning.
Farmers should avoid the first 20 or so centimetres of sorghum because there are dangers of feeding that to their animals. They should get relevant assistance so that they are assisted on the poisonous nature of the wilted crop,” he said.
He said when done well, by producing own stock feed, farmers are in a position to cushion themselves from buying the commercial ones which can be costly to them.
Mr Gunzvenzve said crop residues were nutritious, harvesting and preserving them by farmers was essential as strategic feed during needy times.
He added: “The Government is rolling out trainings on urea treatment process, farmers should take advantage of these and where necessary consult their Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS) extension officers.
They can be assisted in terms of improving on the quality of the harvested crop residues and the step-by-step process of urea treating them.”
In terms of other initiatives, Mr Gunzvenzve said the Government was rolling out hay baling, with the bales transported to areas in dire need.
He urged farmers who are able to bale in their areas to approach the Department of Veterinary Services to get assistance on how best to go about it so that they can have supplementary feed for their animals at the appropriate time.
Mr Gunzvenzve said: “The Government has also been collaborating with development partners to procure feed and sell to farmers in certain areas and this is an ongoing process. One organisation I am aware of is the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), they are collaborating with the Government to buy stock feed and sell to farmers at reduced costs as a way of subsidising them.”
He said FAO under the European Union (EU)-funded Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households In Zimbabwe (ERVHIZ) project, was equipping farmers with skills and tools to prepare animal feeds well in advance by producing fodder crops, on-farm feed formulation and stock up on hay and crop residues.
Mr Gunzvenzve said the Government had also stepped up efforts in drilling boreholes in affected areas and increased delivery of temporary water resources to most hit areas through bowsers among other measures.
Official statistics have indicated that more than 2 300 cattle have died in the western and southern regions of the country due to the El Nino-induced drought. Most of the animals succumbed to malnutrition due to depleted grazing and diminished water resources.
Bongani Ndlovu