‘Zim fights diseases to resume beef exports’

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
GOVERNMENT is struggling to mobilise adequate resources to contain livestock diseases such as foot-and-mouth (FMD), which it needs to eradicate to be allowed to export beef to the European Union (EU), the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for livestock production, Cde Paddy Zhanda has said.

The Deputy Minister said at the moment Zimbabwe remains banned from exporting beef to EU market.

In an interview in Victoria Falls recently, Cde Zhanda could not be drawn into revealing how much Government requires to fight the livestock diseases.

“We are not allowed to export beef. We will not export any beef for the time being because of the foot-and-mouth disease which continues to affect livestock in different parts of the country. Programmes to fight foot-and-mouth as well as other diseases such as New Castle and Anthrax are financed by Government but we have no resources to deal with them,” said Cde Zhanda.

He said the country needs to completely eradicate diseases if it is to export to the EU market.

“We want to resume exports to the EU hence everything is being done to mobilise adequate resources to fight diseases,” said Cde Zhanda.

He said the other challenge was that some farmers still nicodemously move livestock despite a ban on movement of cattle in affected areas.

In May, Government launched Command Livestock programme and efforts are underway to resuscitate the Cold Storage Company. — @ncubeleon.