Despite the drought and other challenges, the Zimbabwe Herd Book 2016 National Bull and Heifer Sale attracted the best yielding yet of pedigree cattle and sheep at the national breed stock sale. The stock on offer at Mount Hampden Sale Pens on July 29, were the cream of the crop entered, selected by inspection to offer the best animals across the breeds – the shop window of top livestock genetics in Zimbabwe.Opening the premier event on the livestock auction calendar, the Deputy Minister, Crops in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, the Honourable Davis Marapira commended ZHB and breeders for putting on such a fine show despite the severe drought and other challenges facing livestock producers. He underscored the importance of using strong, resilient livestock genetics to meet the growing challenge of climate change.
There was a fine array of registered pedigree cattle at the 48th National Breed Sale. Brahman predominated and there were also Holstein, Blond d’Aquitaine, Simmental, Santa Gertrudis, Boran, Beefmaster, Simbrah as well as registered animals from Zimbabwe’s own indigenous cattle breeds the Mashona and Tuli. Dorper sheep also went under the hammer, regrettably Kalahari Red goats entered in the national sale for the first time had to be withdrawn at the last minute due to movement restrictions.
“It is remarkable that breeders have produced such a fine show with Foot and Mouth Disease in the country and in the drought,” said ZHB chairman Keith Swales.
“The resilience of people, especially farmers, is commendable with the hardships and constraints, and we have a full yielding of animals. The only cattle breeds missing here are Aberdeen Angus and Hereford as we no longer have registered breeders today.”
“The best yielding yet,” was how Dr Mario Beffa, general manager of Zimbabwe Herd Book, described the 48th National Breed Sale. “This is exciting because it shows that livestock breeders in Zimbabwe are achieving genetic progress – breeding better animals – which is what livestock breeding is all about.”
Dr Beffa attributes this to the dedication of the country’s livestock breeders, strict adherence to the breed standards set by breed societies, ZHB’s pedigree livestock registration system of authentic and up to date breed records; and the fact that Zimbabwe keeps abreast of the latest global developments in animal breeding.
The National Breed Sale is a barometer of the continual breed improvement achieved by Zimbabwe’s livestock breeders. Only the best of the pedigree stock entered are selected by inspectors for the National Sale every year.
“We aim to have a good balance of breeds in the hundred or so cattle chosen every year,” said Dr Japie Jackson, senior ZHB inspector. “We look for conformation, how well the breed characteristics are expressed; and of course, breeding soundness.”
Another ZHB inspector, John Crawford points out that inspection is critical as the worth of a breeding animal cannot be judged simply on how magnificent the animal looks.
“Prices for the quality of animals on offer were comparable to last year,” observed auctioneer Mark Hayter, director of CC Sales. This has been contrary to the low prices across the cattle auction market in 2016. Emergency de-stocking of cattle earlier in the year produced an oversupply of beef, which together with reduced consumer buying power has kept the price of beef low.
The annual National Sale organised by ZHB plays an important role in bringing pedigree livestock genetics to the market, for both the breeder and commercial cattle producer. Some of the animals bought on the sale will be used in cross-breeding programmes, where the genetic gain in crossing is ultimately determined by the purity and genetic strength of the parent stock. Over the years, the country has built up one of the strongest gene pools of livestock genetics in Africa – both indigenous and exotic breeds.
A Stock-man’s Academy is established
In a visionary initiative, a Stock-man’s Academy has been established in Zimbabwe to empower small-scale farmers to turn their cattle into a commercial beef enterprise and transform their livelihoods.
CC Sales has partnered with Nurture Education Trust in the Stock-man’s Academy training programme to equip smallholder farmers who traditionally keep cattle for many purposes, with the management skills to realise a commercial return on their primary asset, cattle.
Two hundred cattle farmers, drawn from every district of the country have been awarded places on the inaugural Stock-man’s Academy course this year. Selection of candidates is carried out by the Department of Livestock Production and Development which allocates an equal number of places to men and women, as specified by the Trust.
“The concept of Nurture Education Trust is to tap knowledge from retired farmers and other livestock experts and capture this in a form that today’s cattle farmers can benefit from,” explains NET trustee and CC Sales, director, Mark Hayter.
Nurture Education Trust has consolidated this knowledge into the Stock-man’s Academy training programme, and together with CC Sales is facilitating Stock-man’s Academy training at five venues around the country.
The first training session was conducted at Gwebi Agricultural College in June and the programme got underway at Mlezu Agricultural Institute on July 11, 2016. Annual Stock-man’s Academy courses will also be held at Esigodini Training Institute for farmers in Matabeleland and at Makoholi Research Station for participants from Masvingo and Manicaland.
The Stock-man’s Academy programme is designed to empower small farmers to profitably and productively manage their cattle and utilise them for beef production. Held over five intensive sessions, the comprehensive course comprises five key components to successful commercial cattle production – breeding and genetics; nutrition; animal health; cattle handling; and cattle farming as a business. These are the basic building blocks to efficient and productive commercial cattle farming.
This initiative recognises the key role that smallholder cattle keepers must play in boosting beef production in Zimbabwe. With the bulk of the national herd now concentrated in communal areas, the 15 percent increase in beef off take targeted by Government must come from the smallholder cattle sector.
Nurture Education Trust was established this year to tap the wide expertise and farmer experience on commercial cattle production in Zimbabwe, and the willingness to impart this to smallholder farmers.
Training is conducted by recognised experts and cattlemen committed to the long term success of commercial cattle production in Zimbabwe.
The Stock-man’s Academy fills an important training gap in agriculture today. It recognizes that cattle, the primary asset in many rural communities and source of livelihood for millions of Zimbabweans, are an underutilised asset that can be used to generate a commercial return for farmers.
Whilst millions of Zimbabweans traditionally keep cattle, most do not farm them commercially. Through the Stock-man’s Academy, NET and CC Sales are empowering farmers with the cattle management skills to build strong, productive beef herds. In rural communities where cattle traditionally play an integral role in the socio-economic life of the people, strengthening cattle productivity improves livelihoods at many levels.
At a time when more farmers in Zimbabwe are looking to realize a commercial return on their cattle, the establishment of the Stockman’s Academy is a welcome development.
Fish Producers’ Association Ready to Grow Aquaculture in Zimbabwe
The newly constituted Zimbabwe Fish Producers’ Association (ZFPA) is ready to build fish farming into a fully-fledged agricultural industry. With a constitution now in place and an elected council to represent the growing number of fish producers, ZFPA is ready to drive fish farming as Zimbabwe sets its sights on reaping the benefits of aquaculture, which is now the fastest growing food industry in the world.
More than a hundred established and prospective large and small scale fish farmers convened at Exhibition Park on July 22, 2016, for the inaugural Annual General Meeting of ZFPA and an informative day on aquaculture to give prospective fish farmers an overview of what is involved in aquaculture production and to create an interactive platform for discussion on the way forward for the new fish farming industry.
“Going forward, we will partner with Government and NGOs interested in fish farming, to grow the industry. We must build on the momentum achieved so far,” explains newly elected ZFPA chairman Paul Mwera, technical services manager at Lake Harvest. “ZFPA will provide fish farmers with the information they need, coordinate training and create an enabling environment for aquaculture. Our role will also be to engage government on issues pertinent to the development of a thriving aquaculture industry in Zimbabwe, to ensure that we build sustainable livelihoods for fish farmers, improve nutrition for communities and help to meet the goals of Zim-Asset at national level.”
Opening the event, on behalf of Deputy Minister, Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr Unesu Ushewokunze-Obatolu noted that Veterinary Services plays a key role in fish health in Zimbabwe.
“Fish farming is an important area for growth that must be tapped to expand Zimbabwe’s food base,” she said. “We need to develop the fish value chain, create jobs and make protein food available at an affordable cost.”
Noting that the country has many success stories in aquaculture and the recent development of a strong fish feeds industry, she said the fish industry has a solid base to build on.
“Government is developing a dedicated livestock policy recognising fish as a livestock sub-sector and to optimize the use of land; generate nutritional benefits and for integrated production systems.”
Fish farming can also be incorporated in the management of ecosystems and resilience building under climate change.
Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in Africa that does not yet have a policy framework on aquaculture and ZFPA will work with Government to craft this. What is required is a policy on fish farming clearly defining it as part of agriculture, regulated by MoAMID; separate from capture fishing which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and Climate regulated by the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. In Zimbabwe, as well as globally, production from fish farming is fast catching up with capture tonnages of wild fish. Zimbabwe’s annual fish production now stands at 20 000mt; with 45 percent of this now coming from aquaculture, and the remaining 55 percent from wild capture.
One of ZFPA’s focus areas is to ensure that prospective fish farmers can access proper training at minimum cost, so that farmers engaging in fish farming are properly equipped for the task. The ZFPA fish day at Exhibition Park on July 22 included talks on key aspects of fish farming – fish feed, fish health, pond construction, a viability assessment of different types of aquaculture and cage farming.
The presentation on fish health by Mwera provided an overview of the rigorous biosecurity implemented at the Lake Harvest, Kariba operation, the largest fish farm in Africa. In another of Zimbabwe’s aquaculture success stories, small-scale producer Sokonia Kaitano shared his experience on cage farming and how he has built a thriving tilapia operation on Munandi Dam, which supplies the surrounding community and Karoi’s Spar supermarket with nutritious fish.
It was evident from the exhibitor stands at the ZFPA event, that fish farming is spawning the growth of other industry in Zimbabwe.