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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

ABOUT 300 productive cattle in the Garanyemba area in Gwanda District, Matabeleland South Province have been identified for supplementary feeding as part of the first phase of the drought mitigation initiative.

This effort by the Government involves registering livestock at the Garanyemba drought mitigation centre to ensure they receive the necessary feed during the current El Nino-induced drought.

The Department of Veterinary Services, in collaboration with Agritex officers, is identifying productive cattle for accommodation at Garanyemba drought mitigation centre.

The centre is designed to house 80 cattle at a time, focusing on animals deemed productive to ensure the most effective use of resources during the drought period.

Government recently launched a livestock drought mitigation programme to address the impact of drought on the livestock sector. As part of this initiative, a livestock drought mitigation centre and a village business unit have been established in Garanyemba.

The programme, which aims to build resilience and mitigate the effects of the El Nino-induced droughts, will be replicated across all 1 620 rural wards in the country.

Each drought mitigation centre will feature solar-powered boreholes, nutrition gardens, livestock feeding troughs, supplementary feeding facilities and sales centres.

livestock

A one-hectare garden has been established at the centre where farmers planted a variety of vegetables. The community now has access to tap water as two solarised boreholes have been drilled at the centre.

Livestock have started accessing drinking water at the drought mitigation centre. Matabeleland South provincial director of Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services, Mrs Shupikai Sibanda, said plans are underway to expand the existing feeding centre at the community hub.

This expansion will increase the centre’s capacity to accommodate more animals and once completed, it will also serve animals from surrounding areas.

“Veterinary and Agritex officers will be screening animals considering their condition on whether they are productive, pregnant, lactating heifers and bulls. Priority will be given to productive animals,” she said.

Mrs Sibanda explained that once the animals are screened and meet the necessary criteria, they will receive appropriate dosing and spraying.

Following these treatments, the animals will be transferred to the ward centre. The process is intended to ensure that all animals are healthy and properly cared for before their relocation.

“The animals will be fed for 20 days on a rotational basis at two kilograms of feed per animal per day. At the moment, the facility can accommodate 80 cattle but the establishment of another feeding point is underway.

Farmers were called to register their animals according to the given criteria and then they will be screened,” said Mrs Sibanda.

Matabeleland South provincial livestock officer, Mr Hatityi Muchemwa, announced that the feeding centre will cater to some cattle directly, while other farmers will receive free stockfeed to use at home.

He emphasised that the goal is to commence this feeding initiative by the end of the week, aiming to support both the centre’s cattle and local farmers effectively.

“We have 300 cattle in critical condition that have been registered by farmers and now they will be screened as the facility can accommodate 80 cattle at a time. The feeding is expected to start by the end of the week,” said Mr Muchemwa.

He said during their stay at the feeding centre, animals will be constantly checked for diseases. Mr Muchemwa said plans are underway to ensure that farmers can also access feed at a subsidised price from the drought mitigation centre.

A local farmer, Mr Freeman Hlazo, said once in full swing, the feeding programme will bring much-needed relief to villagers.

“For now, our cattle are drinking water from the drought mitigation centre, which is a huge relief for us. Our animals were now in desperate need of water as Garanyemba Dam had dried up, making it a death trap for our livestock,” he said.

“We are now looking forward to the cattle feeding programme as it will help save thousands of animals.”
Preliminary results from the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee indicate that 7,1 million people in the country need food aid.

Government has adopted a co-ordinated approach in addressing the impact of the El Nino-induced drought across all sectors of the economy.

The country requires US$2,7 billion for drought mitigation and resilience building in the agricultural sector.
President Mnangagwa recently announced that the Government will give equal priority to saving livestock in the wake of depleted pastures.

He said farmers will be supported to prevent deaths or distress sale of livestock, adding that the rebuilding of the country’s national herd will continue despite the drought. The Government has set a target of growing the national herd by 100 percent from the current 5,6 million to 11 million by the year 2030.

Under the Second Republic, the livestock value chain has been identified as a key pillar of the agriculture sector.