The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
FARMERS are appealing to Government for land to revive ostrich farming in the country which has over the years collapsed affecting an industry that generated about US$9 million monthly through exports.
The industry used to consistently export ostrich skin, meat and feathers to various markets in Europe, America and Asia.
Before the industry went into crisis, around 200 farmers reared the bird commercially countrywide, but now just a few are left in private wildlife parks.
Most of the abattoirs that served ostrich farmers collapsed, as did the trade association that lobbied for the producers.
Local commercial farmer, Mr Peter Cunningham who was one of the biggest ostrich farmers in the country said there was a need for more land to be availed so as to revive ostrich farming.
“The industry needs to be revived and this requires a restart of operations. Then there is a need to scale it up to attain viable enough numbers, as the industry works on economies of scale. It takes three to five years to ramp up and increase numbers to the acceptable levels.
“Ostriches need a significant amount of land. Currently breeders need additional land to be able to expand the breeding operations,” said Mr Cunningham.
Mr Peter Cunningham
Ostriches are said to require between one and three acres of land in order to run and remain healthy.
Mr Cunningham revealed that at his Matobo farm he was breeding a limited parent stock of 150 birds, which he said was among the best genetics in Africa, in a bid to restart ostrich breeding and rearing.
He said the other contributing factor to the collapse of ostrich farming was the 30 percent deductions that were being taken from export proceeds in 2009 and converted at a low rate which meant that the profit margins of 20 percent were eroded, rendering the industry unprofitable then.
“Once breeders get additional land to be able to expand the breeding operations, then also exports need to be revived to realise the value so that producers can buy inputs and take care of other necessities,” said Mr Cunningham.
Mr Cunningham said ostrich farming was good for Matabeleland being a dry area and good for small scale producers to form part of the value chain.
Another ostrich farmer, Mrs Lydia Shoko said in 2008 they tried to venture into ostrich farming, as a means of earning money but the project collapsed owing to a number of challenges, including inadequate land.
“The collapse of the local currency and a bird-flu outbreak in 2008 dealt a heavy blow to our ostrich farming venture. Further with the 50 birds that we had, land was also a challenge as we could not go full scale.
“Had our business in ostrich farming been a success our vision was then to operate an abattoir and a tannery that would assist us to grow our revenue as we would have been involved in the whole value chain,” said Mrs Shoko.
She said they had found investors who were willing to invest into ostrich meat and skin-processing project that they were meant to set up, but it then did not work out.
Commercial ostrich farming in Zimbabwe started in the mid-1980s after locals learned of its profitability from their colleagues in neighbouring South Africa, where the first commercial ostrich farm was established in about 1860.
Back then the birds were raised solely for harvesting the feathers every six to eight months.
About 98 percent of the slaughtered stock was exported as locals had not developed an appetite for ostrich meat.
Local tanneries used to process hides, which some leather firms processed into footwear, bags and ornaments.
