The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
IN traditional African society, owning a herd of cattle is revered as a symbol for wealth, it is a sign of being a “man” in the African sense of defining investment and it is an unwritten rule that numbers separate boys from men.
Cattle are used for many different things in African society such as paying bride price, for meat, milk and as draught power. They are also handy in paying for the appeasement of avenging spirits. In that regard, their value is next to that of human life.
The bulk of the cattle that are kept in African communities are indigenous breeds that are adaptable to the climatic conditions of the areas. Some are small and hard while others are tall and lean weighing an average of 150kgs to 250kgs and producing very little meat or milk. This has been so because in most of African communities, the discourse has been limited to numbers and not anything beyond that.
There has been limited investment in livestock genetics as communities continue to take pride in the numbers and not the quality of cattle and the value derived. Except for a few commercial livestock farmers, the few that have tried cattle breeding have had limited success owing to a number of challenges that include but are not limited to costs and the proper knowledge of the science behind it.
In many of Zimbabwe’s communal areas there is little knowledge of livestock genetics and the benefits thereof and the Government has not been doing enough on that front too. Reading through so many articles, one gets the impression that the emphasis is on growing the herd in terms of numbers and not the breeds.
The area of livestock genetics has therefore remained concealed, a preserve of a limited privileged select and a rarely discussed one for farmers both new and old. This is despite it being a lucrative business gap and an important one in the production of good cattle breeds and in improving the national herd.
Of the few who have been practising cattle breeding in the Southern part of the country, one name that will not skip the mind of any serious farmer is that of a veteran breeder whose farm is tucked in the Umzingwane district of Matabeleland South province Mr Obert Chinhamo.
He is a pedigree farmer who owns more than 300 Simmental breed of cattle at his 80-hectare Biano Farm in Esigodini about 30km out of Bulawayo. He is also the president of the Simmental Association of Zimbabwe, an elite club of six farmers who are into Simmental cattle breeding nationally.
Despite the evident wealth that he has made from his breeding exploits, Mr Chinhamo has remained very humble and willing to engage. He is not the English khaki shirts and cargo pants type of farmer who wants to be seen. He doesn’t drive latest cars that suit the fastest lanes but wears his trademark cotton tuft hair and beard that knows no dye and a modest work suit.
He is not an absentee farmer but has been hands-on through and through who enjoys the smell of cow dung and has since established a rapport with his animals. His hands are a sure sign of a man who interacts with farm work on a daily basis.
Mr Chinhamo has invested heavily on his farm which is wholly mechanised with ten tractors, some of which are still new. He is evidently building a legacy for his family while being productive on a national scale. He said farming was a business which people should take seriously, adding that if done properly, “it pays big”.
He believes there is a serious deficiency in the area of livestock breeding and urged youths and women with a passion for farming to take up the venture. He urged youths to desist from the idea of fast money without production saying the culture of dealership should be destroyed and replaced with a culture of working.
“I started farming cattle in the early 1990s but faced a number of challenges then because I had no experience. It was through patience, passion and dedication that I continued. Otherwise I could have tried other things because at times it was really discouraging.”
He said he started breeding Simmentals in 2006 and never looked back. He tried his hand in the truck business where he used to own a number of trucks but abandoned it when corruption was high on the roads to focus his attention on his farming venture.
Mr Chinhamo submitted that farmers, even those in communal areas of the country should be encouraged to change the narrative from growing numbers to growing quality. His argument is that instead of keeping more cattle that neither have weight nor quality beef, farmers can keep small numbers of breeds that have both weight and quality as population growth is taking up space for pastures. His Simmental breed weighs an average of 500kgs with some of his bulls going to a tonne and costing up to US$6 000 while his heifers sell no less than US$2 500.
“The idea of people taking pride in numbers of poor quality cattle has never appealed to me. We need to do a lot to improve our breeds as a nation. Indications are that our average cattle size has dropped by almost 50 percent. There is a genetic deficiency in pedigree breeding and I encourage youths and women to come in and bridge the gap. It’s a lucrative business venture with a lot of exciting opportunities,” he said.
Mr Chinhamo has also mastered the art of producing silage and says he doesn’t remember the last time he bought cattle feed and yet his herd has been in excellent condition. He has not skipped trade showcases in the country such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show that he says helps him market his breed and exchange ideas with other farmers.
“Learning is a continuous process. So trade showcases help us interact, engage and incubate ideas on how best we can improve ourselves. I am not saying people should go into Simmentals but any breed that improves the quality of our cattle industry is good. We can do that through cross breeding and we have breeders who are willing to do that,” he said.
Mr Chinhamo said under the Government’s Livestock Recovery Plan, emphasis should be on cross breeding so that the country gets back to having all breeds of cattle and once again become an exporter of beef and its products.
He said reducing the number of cattle and improving their breeds to medium-framed animals would save the country about half the amount it uses in the procurement of vaccines. It will also save pastures and yet improve value to the farmer, the beef and milk quality.
“I sell my cattle for an average of US$2 500 each, how many cattle would a communal farmer sell to get that amount at an average of US$300 each,” he quizzed.
He has been able to sustain his farming venture in the face of climate change through composite initiatives aimed at mitigating its effects such as growing Lucerne grass which is a deep rooted nitrogen fixing plant with high protein.
He also makes silage using sorghum and maize.
On why he preferred Simmental ahead of other breeds, Mr Chinhamo said it was a dual purpose breed in that it produces good quality beef and milk. It also grows fast, has strong genes, very good weight gains and has excellent fertility as well as its adaptability to conditions. It is also docile and easy to work with. Simmental is a European breed originating in Switzerland’s Simme River area from where it derives its name.
