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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected] 

GOVERNMENT, in conjunction with its developmental partners, has surpassed the hay bale target in Matabeleland South Province with about 250 000 bales having been achieved out of a target of 120 000. 

Hay baling helps to supply livestock farmers with affordable feed for their animals.

In addition to baling hay, farmers are also baling fodder, which is highly nutritive. 

An estimated 3 000 head of cattle have died in the province since October due to drought and Bulilima District is the worst affected having lost more than 1 000 head of cattle. 

Weather experts predicted that most parts of the country will receive normal to below normal rainfall due to the El Nino effects this farming season. This means farmers in some areas might run out of pastures early.

Matabeleland South’s acting provincial director for the Agricultural Rural Development and Advisory Services, Mr Mkhunjulelwa Ndlovu said the hay baling programme mainly targets small holder farmers to enable them access to nutritional supplements at subsidised prices.

“Hay baling is done by Government and the private sector. In the private sector, we are referring to individual farmers and companies who have the baling equipment. We have farmers who are baling in almost all the seven districts in the province,” he said.

“Some will be baling to save their herd while others bale to sell to other livestock farmers. This goes a long way in saving livestock. Some farmers are selling to stock feed manufacturers.”

Mr Ndlovu said some farmers were shunning areas where January disease was recorded. 

“They feared that grasses could transport that tick which carries the January disease,” he said.

Mr Ndlovu said areas that had farmers who were active in hay baling recorded low cases of poverty deaths. 

He said their department had started distributing hay bales across the province.

Mr Ndlovu said hay baling is in progress at Matobo National Park.

“The target is to bale as much grass as possible and stock the grass in warehouses across the province for the convenience of farmers,” he said.

The targeted areas are Beitbridge West, Gwanda South, Matobo South, Mangwe, Bulilima West, and some parts of Insiza. 

Mr Ndlovu said farmers have also adopted baling of legume fodder crops.

“The uptake of legume bales has also improved, and more farmers are growing legume fodder crops in the arable lands. Those in irrigation have baled a lot of these legumes following last years’ experience where farmers who had baled legumes were able to save their animals,” he said.

“The farmers who used legume fodder bales recorded close to zero kid, calf mortalities and poverty deaths.”

Mr Ndlovu said hay baling can be a source of livelihood for farmers without livestock as they can bale and sell to their fellow farmers. 

He said hay baling can also prevent cases of stock theft and the spread of cross-boundary diseases which are caused by animals straying into Botswana in search for pastures.

Mr Ndlovu urged farmers who are in irrigation farming to put a portion of land under high-yielding fodder grass or fodder crops to supplement small stock like goats and lactating animals to save them.

He said there was also a need to establish bigger irrigations schemes to grow high-yielding grasses that could be sold to farmers.

“Farmers with bigger arable lands should fence them and have a certain area where they can plant fodder. Our thrust is to push fodder production in big irrigation schemes across the province,” said Mr Ndlovu.

“Our target is to have at least 20 percent of arable land in all irrigation schemes under fodder production so that farmers can support their animals during the dry season instead of relying on crop residue which is low in nutrients.”

Mr Ndlovu also urged farmers to plant fodder this summer cropping season. —@DubeMatutu