adminThe commercial pig herd currently stands at 12 000 representing a 50 percent increase from the 2008 figures while production of day old chicks is set to rise to 70 million this year, a 40 percent increase from last year.
Installed capacity for local stock feed manufacturers stands between 600 000 metric tonnes and almost 1 million tonnes per annum although only between 30 and 40 percent is being utilised.
Stockfeeds Manufacturers’ Association (SMA) chairman Fungai Mungate said the industry had the capacity to double production this year.
“We will certainly double production of stock feeds this year since there is a surge in demand as more farmers are taking livestock production in the country seriously as a business venture.
“In addition, most of our members now can afford retooling. Some have refurbished their plants and others have actually installed new ones all together,” he said.
The SMA has 37 members across the country.
Mungate said growth of the agriculture sector in general also drove the rise in manufacturing of stock feeds. “We continue to urge the government to channel more resources towards crop and animal production in the country as it has an impact on the manufacturing industry,” he said.
“High yields of maize and soya beans guarantees raw materials for us while increase in live stock production will push up the demand of stockfeeds.”
He said the association was importing 75 percent of its raw materials.
“Among the raw materials we require only cotton seed is readily available. The rest are being imported from neighbouring countries,” he said, adding maize was being imported from Zambia and soya bean from India.
The Stockfeed Manufacturers’ Association of Zimbabwe has been in existence since the 1990s, went into hibernation during much of the economic downturn in the country before being resuscitated in May 2007. — New Ziana.
Online Reporter