Govt to roll out artificial cattle insemination

Government will soon roll out an extensive cattle Artificial Insemination (AI) programme aimed at improving the quality of the country’s livestock as well as increasing the national herd, a Cabinet minister has said.

Lands minister Perrance Shiri said this in a speech read on his behalf by the principal director in the department of Crop and Livestock Joseph Gondo.

Simangaliphi Tshuma-Ncube came out first out of 299 farmers from all the country’s provinces. The second prize went to a farmer from Manicaland while the third and fourth prizes were scooped by farmers from Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West respectively. Shiri said the Livestock Revitalisation Programme being spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (Zas) would play a pivotal role in improving the genetics of cattle in communal areas. The programme seeks to introduce pure breeds that include Tuli, Boran and Mashona through AI.
“The first launch of the programme was in Matabeleland South, in the Gwatemba area, and I have been reliably informed that the subsequent AI in the area should have produced its first calves. This is indeed interesting news . . .