Country's key livestock sector needs support, says expert

Zimbabwe's key livestock sector needs further assistance to fully realise its potential as a foreign currency earner and valuable food resource, says Dr Stuart Hargreaves, principal director of the Department of Livestock Veterinary Services. The country's livestock sector had been decimated by "a major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and recurring drought" in recent years, and although the government had disbursed Zim $50 billion (US $8.1 million) to farmers in a bid to restock the national herd, this was "definitely not enough", he commented. The country's herd - which stood at six million in 2000 - now stands at about 5.2 million, the official Herald newspaper reported. "I think that it's a concern for the [livestock] industry that there is not sufficient developmental finance available," Hargreaves noted, calling for concessional finance to be made available to farmers through the Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe. While the situation in the sector "has definitely stabilised", he said there was a need to "increase livestock production, both in terms of numbers and quality", so the country could take advantage of export opportunities. The livestock sector played a vital role in the country's economic and food security situation. "Cattle are important because they provide, maybe, 90 to 95 percent of draught power on smallholdings - that's where the bulk of our population live [and farm]; they're a valuable food resource, providing both milk and meat, and also are a source of manure for cropping in smallholder farming areas. And in terms of exports, it's [the livestock sector] got enormous potential, and not just beef - at the moment we exporting crocodiles, fish, poultry, pork and milk," Hargreaves pointed out. Poultry and small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, were particularly important to poor people. "The wealthy own cattle and the poor own poultry and small ruminants, and we must not lose sight of that - these sectors need support. Certainly, when you look at pigs and poultry [farming], which are generally reliant on grain inputs, we need to develop strategic grain reserves specifically for livestock," he urged. The government had done much to stabilise the sector: "the Department of Livestock Production and Development was formed in 2002, and the extension services were increased - that's all positive stuff; a lot of money was allocated to foot-and-mouth disease control, the rehabilitation of fencing and purchases of vaccines, etc." Making concessional financing available to the livestock sector would ensure its future viability, Hargreaves said, and allow new farmers to establish themselves.