The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
MORE than 200 cattle have died in Matabeleland South since July as livestock has started succumbing to the effects of drought in the area.
The situation has also been worsened as farmers are facing a tricky situation as efforts to save their animals are being curtailed by the massive slump in prices.
Department of Livestock Production and Development (DLPD) Matabeleland South provincial livestock specialist, Mrs Simangaliphi Ngwabi said a number of farmers in three districts namely Insiza, Mangwe and Bulilima have lost their cattle due to poverty.
As of last week the highest number of cattle deaths had been recorded in Insiza (186), Mangwe (18) and Bulilima (11) while losses were still to be reported from Beitbridge, Gwanda and Umzingwane districts.
“We have received reports that cattle are dying due to poverty and as such we are urging farmers to put their cattle under supplementary feeding. They should buy bales of grass and sprinkle molasses on them to encourage uptake.
“Bales which weigh 12 to 15 kilogrammes are being sold at an average price of $3 each. In supplementing farmers should give priority to pregnant cows as well as the animals they use as draught power as these will be in bad shape,” said Mrs Ngwabi.
Mangwe Farmers Association chairman, Mr Adam Bango-Dube said efforts to save their livestock from succumbing to the effects of drought were proving to be futile due to depressed prices on the market.
He said the low prices were discouraging farmers to cull some of their animals to generate substantial revenue to purchase stockfeed to save the better part of their herd.
“Cattle are beginning to die due to depleted pastures. The problem is that at the moment cattle farming has ceased to be a lucrative venture as the prices are terribly low. A number of communal farmers in some areas have been feeding their cattle with pods from the acacia tree. We hope the rains come soon,” said Mr Dube.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda said farmers have no option but to cull some of their cattle so as to guard against total loss.
“The problem we are faced with is that most of our farmers don’t understand basic principles of market forces and issues to do with demand and supply. Farmers have to cull some of their animals to mitigate against total losses. Culling will enable them to incur a loss which is manageable,” he said.
DLPD Matabeleland North provincial livestock specialist Mr Admore Chikowa said there has been no poverty-related deaths recorded in his area of jurisdiction but hinted that cattle in some district had died after consuming umkhawuzane.
Umkhawuzane also known as diachapetalum cymousm in Latin is a poisonous plant, one of the first vegetations to sprout during the spring season and kills livestock upon consumption.
It is mostly confined to the Kalahari sands of Matabeleland North and South provinces and parts of Mwenezi District in Masvingo.
@DNsingo
