Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
Chief Mathema of Gwanda District has urged the Government to include livestock in the Presidential Input Schemes to assist farmers in recovering from the devastating effects of the El Niño-induced drought, which led to significant livestock losses.
Matabeleland South province lost about 19 000 cattle to the El Nino induced drought which was experienced during the 2023/2024 farming season.
The traditional leader said in light of the El Niño-induced drought, there is also need for Government to increase the allocation of inputs given to each households, as some people have not yet recovered from its effects.
“We lost a lot of cattle to the El Niño-induced drought and people are still reeling from the effects. We appeal to Government to consider distributing livestock as part of the package of the Presidential Input Scheme, especially for those who lost a lot of cattle.
“Livestock are crucial to our community. People depend on these cattle to send their children to school. The cattle are also a source of draught power and they provide manure which is crucial in farming. A lot of farmers didn’t harvest anything that year and they were not able to salvage grain. It would also be ideal for Government to increase the allocation of grain per household in order to support the people,” he said.
Chief Mathema said having food-insecure households stalls the development agenda.
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