Senior Business Reporter
FARMERS in the livestock sector have hailed the Special Livestock, Fisheries and Wildlife Programme, which is aimed at improving agriculture production and guarantees Zimbabwe food security.

Vice President Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga launched the $300 million facility in  Insiza district, Matabeleland South, last Saturday.

In an interview yesterday, Livestock Farmers’ Union chairman Mr Sifiso Sibanda said: “We are ecstatic and excited that the Government has responded to our call and that they have given us the support that we need.”

Mr Sibanda said the union had, however, highlighted issues that need to be addressed as the Government rolls out the programme.

For example, Mr Sibanda said, there was a need to redefine what a commercial farmer in the livestock sector is in order to come up with sound export marketing plans if the country is to re-penetrate the foreign markets.

“Right now there is no order in the sector and it is those issues that need to be addressed including the marketing of livestock. For instance, the amount of land that a farmer has may not allow him or her to be classified as a commercial farmer,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said there was a need to protect the livestock commercial sector so that the country can benefit.

He said the special livestock programme was critical to the revival of the Cold Storage Company (CSC).

“There is no way CSC is going to operate competitively without a sound relationship with the livestock farmers. CSC needs a strong ‘stakeholdership’ with the farmers and we cannot have a situation where NSSA owns 80 percent shares in CSC when that authority has no cattle.

“CSC needs to have the farmers as its partners so that there is consistence in supplying of slaughter beasts,” he said.

The State-run pension fund, NSSA announced in December 2017 that it had started due diligence processes to acquire 80 percent stake in the ailing CSC after approval of the transaction by Government. Mr Sibanda said livestock farmers in the country have the capacity to turnaround the fortunes of the struggling beef processor and marketer through the supply of slaughter animals as CSC has the necessary equipment.

“Bulawayo is surrounded by feedlots of private operators where farmers are taking their animals to. There is therefore a need for a strong relationship between CSC and farmers especially during this time when the special livestock programme is being implemented,” said Mr Sibanda.

He said farmers in the livestock industry were also working directly with the Government in ensuring that the marketing of livestock was well-oiled to achieve a win-win situation across the value chain system.

Following the success of Command Agriculture-Special Maize and Wheat programme supported to the tune of $180 million by a private investor,  Government decided to extend the initiative to the livestock sector.

@okazunga