The Sunday News
Gabriel Masvora, Business Editor
THE Government is in the process of crafting a stand-alone livestock marketing policy that will among other things help farmers have a say in the marketing of their animals and limit cases where they are being swindled by middlemen.
Addressing delegates attending a Sunday News Agribusiness seminar in Bulawayo on Thursday, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Responsible for Livestock Paddy Zhanda said the policy will mainly address the issue of the beef classification system which has also seen small-framed animals mainly the indigenous ones being discriminated on the market.
He, however, said the policy will not translate to the Government fixing prices of beef or any other livestock products like what has happened with crops such as maize.
“We cannot fix the price of beef. I have heard complaints of farmers about the price they are offered at some markets.
In most cases I cannot answer that because I will not be privy to the state of the animals being sold.
But the livestock policy we are coming up with will mainly deal with the issue of classification of the beef so that we don’t discriminate our Mashona, Nguni and Tuli breeds,” he said.
Deputy Minister Zhanda said the Government was also concerned by the state of Cold Storage Company, a major player in the beef industry.
“I assure you CSC is one of the problems that make me lose sleep. There are efforts underway to ensure that the company works again. We are just left with a few touch ups and I am sure something will come up.”
He however, launched a thinly veiled attack on management at CSC for just “siting” and not doing enough to revive the company.
“I have always wondered what those guys at head office are doing. I tell you most companies with head offices are dying. Head offices are just cost drivers. There is no production at those offices. We need to start remodelling our businesses.”
He added that Government was supportive of decentralised cattle sales as it was helping the control of the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
Deputy Minister Zhanda said because of FMD, centralised cattle sales were presenting challenges to farmers as sometimes they were not allowed to move their animals.
“In this case if your animal does not fetch the price you want you can stake it back without any problems and without any cost. We need to even decentralise feedlots so that we can control the movement of our animals.”
The country, he said, was battling to control the spread of FMD. He said nearly $6 million has been spent on vaccinations but this alone was not the solution hence the need to come up with new strategies to deal with the disease.
“FMD has and will always be with us because of the conservancies where there are buffaloes. As a result where resources are available, annual vaccination programmes are required especially in those areas that border conservancies. But as farmers we need to look after our cattle. We need to be worried and control the movement of our cattle.”
He said some farmers were complaining following the announcement by Botswana that it will shoot Zimbabwean cattle that will stray into its borders with effect from June as an FMD control measure.
“We need to respect other countries’ laws. Botswana is trying to protect its market and they can’t lose it because of us. We need to look after our cattle and make sure they do not stray.”
On the national herd which stands at around 5,3 million, the Deputy Minister said farmers should not just be concerned about increasing the numbers but on calving rates and efficiency. The country’s calving rates stands at 48 percent compared to the required standard of 80 percent.
“We have to increase efficiency of production of fertility and calving. We also need to improve our genetics and even our pastures. Farmers must look at ways to look after their livestock like fodder harvesting to ensure that feed is available. Every year we know that there will be problems of stockfeeds and pastures in the summer but we are watching grass drying now.”
The agribusiness seminar was attended by nearly 100 farmers and representatives of farming organisations who took the opportunity to share and debate some of the challenges farmers are facing and how to deal with them.
