Zimbabwe urged to explore new beef export markets

19 Jun, 2016 - 00:06 0 Views
Zimbabwe urged to explore new beef export markets Minister Paddy Zhanda

The Sunday News

Minister Paddy Zhanda

Minister Paddy Zhanda

Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
@DNsingo
THERE is a need for Zimbabwe to explore other export markets for its beef and stop resting on its laurels hoping that exports can only be revived after the lifting of the embargo that was imposed by the European Union over the issue of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), an expert said.

Renowned international livestock specialist Dr Gavin Thompson said there was need for the country and the entire southern African region to improve on the productivity and competitiveness of the beef sector. He said this at a Foot and Mouth Disease strategy stakeholder consultative meeting held in Bulawayo last week.

Dr Thompson is the head of a South Africa-based internationally renowned livestock consultant firm, TAD Scientific and was contracted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) late last year to come up with a properly structured FMD strategy for the country. He was also tasked with coming up with Commodity Based Trade guidelines for Southern African Development Community, which allows the countries to trade on livestock products as commodities.

“Productivity and competitiveness in the whole of southern Africa is not of international standards. For example Botswana and Namibia can export beef but they can only do that because of tariff protection. If they had to compete on an even playing field with other countries they wouldn’t export beef. So productivity and competitiveness are a major issue and it’s not only me but a lot of people are convinced that much more effort needs to be placed in Zimbabwe in accruing the competitiveness of the livestock sector,” said Dr Thompson.

He was also sceptical about the country’s prospects of meeting export demands.

“It’s not possible at this stage to access the EU market but there are many other markets both in Africa and outside Africa but the big thing is one needs to have an exportable surplus of the product that you are intending to export and it must be of the right quality and also right price as well as consistence of supply.

“At the moment I don’t think Zimbabwe has an exportable surplus so that’s something that should be worked on. You need to improve production and productivity when it comes to the beef sector in Zimbabwe and then access to the markets,” said Dr Thompson.

Before the advent of FMD outbreak Zimbabwe in 2001, the country used to export its beef to Europe.

“When it comes to trade and trade effects there is no doubt FMD is the most important disease (affecting beef exports).

Zimbabwe is more or less forced by outside opinion and pressure to give a high priority to FMD, maybe a high priority than it actually deserves,” Dr Thompson said.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Matabeleland North provincial chairman Mr Winston Babbage said Dr Thompson’s sentiments about open trade on FMD affected animals was likely to bring back confidence to players in the livestock industry.

“We are grateful that FAO and veterinary have got together with the farmers in trying to map a way forward on strategies against FMD. I think it’s going to open a lot of can of worms but it’s going to allow trade to go on and as for us farmers it will allow competitiveness and the prices will be more favourable for the farmers.

“The stakeholders consultative forum is very good and we are very happy about it and hope it will unlock value and the Veterinary Department Services will be able to listen and make farmers to be able to trade although we want them to carry on with their vaccination but to be more lenient and not to be forceful in ways of implementing their laws and vaccination programmes,” said Mr Babbage.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda who is responsible for livestock production said the private sector should take the lead in pursuit of beef exports.

“Zimbabwe is signatory to various trade protocols such as the Common Market for East and South Africa (Comesa), Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) and Preferential Trade Area (PTA) and we haven’t exhausted all our efforts to pursue trade with EU market only.

“It’s not Government, which should pursue those markets, it should be the private sector and the Government can only come in where it should facilitate provision of services such as the Veterinary Department. There is a need to start trading within the region, we have never had any shortage of beef in the country and as a country we need to get export revenue,” said Dep Minister Zhanda.

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