adminLovemore Kadzura in Nyanga
THE quality of cattle in Nyanga North is set to massively improve following a donation of a Brahman breeding bull to the area by a local abattoir.The breeding bull which weighs an enormous 940kgs which can service 25 cows a month was handed to the Nyagezi Resettlement community by Marondera-based Surrey Meats.
The donation was a swift response to ZRP Nyanga’s plea to the company to reward the community for being leaders in cattle branding.
Speaking at the handover ceremony on Tuesday, Surrey Meats head of cattle buying, Mr Louis Jacobsz, said his company had a rich trading history with the Nyanga community hence the handover of the breeding bull.
He further said unlike other cattle buying companies who dump communities upon realising the diminishing quality of cattle his company would strive hard to improve their client’s cattle.
“We have been operating in Nyanga since long back when we started our abattoir. There is a huge bond between the Nyanga community and Surrey Meats, a reason why we did not hesitate to offer this breeding bull when ZRP asked us to do something for this community.
“With this bull, there will an improved cattle breed in the area and this will transform people’s lives as Surrey will offer good prices. It is also our social responsibility to assist the communities we conduct our operations. We get cattle and goats from this area and it is our mandate to improve the breed. Very soon we will be back with more bulls for the area,” said Mr Jacobsz.
Accepting the bull on behalf of the community, Nyanga Rural District Council chairman, Cde Moses Gutu, said Surrey’s gesture was welcome as it would create a win-win situation between Surrey and the community.
“What we are witnessing today is what our economic blue print, ZIM-ASSET is saying on the issue of co-operation and partnerships between companies and communities. This breeding bull is also a form of value addition which Government is advocating for. The value of our cattle is going to vastly improve which means we will earn more as the communities.
“Surrey Meats has been in the district for a long time and their dealings are fair and transparent. This is a win-win situation between the company and the community. The partnership will accelerate to sustainable development,” said Cde Gutu.
A cross section of elated villagers who spoke to The Manica Post welcomed the initiative by Surrey as a timely boost as the quality of their cattle was going down, hence declining earnings from sales.
Online Reporter