Elita Chikwati
Agriculture Reporter
The tick grease application programme being spearheaded under the Presidential Livestock Inputs scheme is expected to reduce the number of animals succumbing to tick-borne diseases, particularly Theileriosis, popularly known as January Disease, which has killed over 300 000 cattle since 2017.

The programme, which is also under the Livestock Growth Plan, will be launched this Friday at Bengo Dip tank in Gwanda, will benefit one million households and cover 4 000 dip tanks.

Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Department of Veterinary Services chief director, Dr Josphat Nyika, yesterday said the tick grease programme will supplement intensive cattle dipping.

“The tick grease programme is one of the first steps of establishing livestock inputs programme as has been the case with crops,” he said.

“We are excited about the programme. Every household will receive one kilogramme of grease. Tick grease helps in the control of tick-borne diseases, especially January disease which is transmitted by the brown ear tick.

“The programme will supplement intensive cattle dipping programme in affected areas. Intensive dipping is when cattle dip three times in two weeks and tick grease will be applied in-between the dipping sessions.

“We encourage farmers to apply tick grease in the ears, under the tail and on the tail brush which are feeding sites of the brown ear tick which transmits January disease.”

Dr Nyika said the department had dispatched  veterinary staff to train farmers on the correct application of tick grease before distribution.

“The tick grease application programme is augmenting the national dipping programme,” he said. “In an outbreak area, livestock should be dipped three times in two weeks on a 5,5,4 interval.”

The Livestock Growth Plan is part of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, which seeks to achieve a US$8,2 billion agriculture economy by 2025 capable of anchoring and propelling Zimbabwe towards the Vision 2030 goal of an upper middle-income economy.

The Livestock Growth Plan seeks to grow the livestock sector to a US$8,5 billion economy by 2025. The growth plan is anchored on co-ordinated multi-stakeholder responses to livestock value chain challenges. The public sector interventions will be expected to leverage private sector and development partners’ funding through existing or new projects, especially those aimed at scaling up successful interventions.