Farmers urged to invest in their livestock

FARMERS must invest in their cattle and be ready to use their own resources to prevent disease-related deaths as the Government is facing challenges in keeping up with the demand for dipping chemicals, a Cabinet Minister has said.

A total of 50 000 cattle died due to different animal diseases, including tick-borne diseases between December 2017 and November 2018.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement projected that the number of deaths will increase in 2019 unless Government increases forex allocation for this area.

In a report submitted to Parliament, the committee said although the Government allocated $2,4 million towards the rehabilitation of at least 50 diptanks in each province, cattle may still not dip due to lack of chemicals.

Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Retired Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri told Parliamentarians on Wednesday that the Government was having challenges providing the required chemicals.

“Government is aware that we have a lot of cattle which are dying because of tick-borne diseases and we are buying chemicals and taking them to the rural areas so that cattle can get dipping services. At times we delay sending these chemicals to the dip tanks in rural areas which explains why we had to introduce the $2 dipping fee,” said Minister Shiri.

“Therefore, I am asking Parliamentarians to go encourage these farmers to pool their own resources and buy these chemicals. It is pointless for a farmer to be proud of seeing a herd of cattle then they die because the farmer cannot sell just one beast to sustain the remaining ones.”

Minister Shiri said the dipping fee was a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed to address the current problem in most rural communities. “We are calling on members of the public and farmers to be proactive and take measures to invest in cattle. Take these animals as collateral and buy chemicals so that we save the draught power,” he said.

Minister Shiri said the Government has also put in place measures to help members whose cattle have died by establishing a Command Cattle programme whereby farmers can come and borrow money from the fund.

“The money borrowed will be repaid in five years and I will engage members of my Ministry to look for other intervention measures which could be introduced to assist these farmers who lost their herd of cattle,” he said.

Minister Shiri added that Government is now erecting fences to demarcate areas between the resettled areas and wild life so that wild animals and domesticated animals do not mix.

“We are aware that in some areas, we have the problem of foot and mouth and this is spread through the mixing and grazing together of wild animals like the buffaloes and cattle. What we have done as Government is that we are now erecting fences in affected areas to avoid the spread of such diseases,” he said. — @thamamoe