Stock feed delivery to Mat South begins

as it moves to avert livestock deaths as a result of starvation.

This follows recent reports that more than 371 000 cattle in the province were at risk of succumbing to starvation owing to the biting shortage of grazing, which has so far claimed more than 500 beasts.

In an interview in Gwanda on Friday, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Mr Seiso Moyo said Government would do everything it could to save livestock in the region.

“The programme is on now. We have started delivering stock feed to the province to save livestock from starvation. By yesterday four by 30-tonne trucks were loading stock feed from Harare to Gwanda and Beitbridge. We expect them to arrive next week,” he said.
Government recently released $2 million to fund supplementary feeding for livestock in Matabeleland South province which is the worst hit by drought.

“At the moment priority is given to Matabeleland South but the programme will expand to cover the whole southern region.

“We have established distribution points in the affected areas. The stock feed is subsidised and we are trying our best to deliver it closer to the farmers,” said Deputy Minister Moyo.
He, however, could not be drawn to explain the prices of the stock feed.

“You can get in touch with veterinary officers in the province for more details,” he said.
Matabeleland South Governor Angeline Masuku challenged the Government to expedite the delivery of stock feed saying further delays would worsen the situation.

“The drought situation is critical in Matabeleland South. People and livestock are starving. There is a need to intensify mitigation strategies. We have heard of the $2 million that Government has released and we urge the relevant ministry to prioritise livestock. Cattle are dying in Matabeleland South and the Government should not delay providing the stock feed,” said Governor Masuku.

The $2 million is part of the $6,5 million that Government initially allocated for rebuilding the national herd. The Ministry of Finance reduced the figure to $3 million following budget cuts.

Last week livestock farmers in Matabeleland met in Bulawayo where they expressed concern over the declining livestock production in the region. They challenged the Government to split the agriculture sector into clusters and come up with a separate budget for livestock production.

According to latest statistics from the Department of Livestock Production and Development more than 514 cattle have died in Matabeleland South owing to lack of pastures, while 371 100 are at risk of dying if provision of supplementary stock feed is not expedited.

The Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Justin Mupamhanga has said Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North needed urgent intervention, as they were the most affected.

He said cattle in other provinces such as Masvingo, Midlands and Manicaland were also facing starvation due to lack of grazing.

The situation has been aggravated by the shortage of water and movement of cattle in search of grazing has increased the risk of outbreak of diseases such as foot and mouth and anthrax.

A majority of farmers have relocated their cattle to resettlement areas where they are reportedly forced to pay large sums of money while some have been forced to sell their livestock to buy food.

Matabeleland South has more than 550 000 cattle, which constitutes about 10 percent of the national herd.

The Veterinary Services Department has advised farmers to prioritise giving supplementary feeding to the breeding stock.

The department has also warned of the likelihood of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease due to the rampant movement of cattle to various areas in search of pastures.

Beitbridge, Gwanda South (Wards 11 to 20 and 24), Bulilima (Wards two to four as well as 14 to 24), Mangwe Ward one to 10 and 13 to 17) and Matobo (Ward one to 19) are some of the critical areas in Matabeleland South.

At last week’s meeting the farmers underscored the need to strengthen grassroot associations and lobbying strategies as opposed to just waiting for Government intervention.

They suggested that an office specifically for livestock farming in the region be created in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development and that there should be a special fund in Treasury for restocking and revival of structures for livestock production.