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Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
WHEN Mr Lindwell Moyo (57) from Tsholotsho District in Matabeleland North province received three heifers in 2018, little did he know that five years later, the animals would increase to 11 and boost his herd.

Mr Moyo of Hololo Village, Madona Line in Tsholotsho was part of more than 20 farmers from the area that benefitted from the Presidential Heifer Scheme under the Command Livestock programme.

The scheme, which was launched by President Mnangagwa in April 2018, feeds into the programme to rebuild the national herd. The Government is accelerating the programme to rebuild the national herd and the target is six million cattle.

President Mnangagwa handed over 660 heifers to farmers from Matabeleland South during the official launch of the Command Livestock programme in the province at Gwanda Showgrounds in June 2018.

Presently, the national herd stands at 5,5 million and various measures have been put in place to improve the livestock sector, including artificial insemination which involves cross-breeding with semen from selected quality bulls, vaccination programmes and dip tank rehabilitation to prevent tick-borne diseases.

Mr Moyo is part of the Second Republic’s success stories as the country works to realise its Vision 2030, which is aimed at transforming the country into an upper-middle-income economy.

A Chronicle news crew yesterday visited Tsholotsho and spoke to Mr Moyo, who is also a member of Emdlawuzweni Farming Cooperative, which has 20 members.

When he received the three heifers under the Command Livestock Scheme, Mr Moyo had 19 cattle and now he has 30.
In an interview, Mr Moyo, who also chairs the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) in Matabeleland North province said the programme was a boost to livestock farming in the area.

“From the scheme, I received three heifers and now I have 11 cattle from this scheme. The cows are giving me at least a calf each year and as we speak I am expecting another calf from one of the  programme cows by the end of this month,” he said.

Mr Moyo said at district level, most farmers have increased the herd. “At the district level, we have eight farmers who benefitted from the Command Livestock programme.

“These have 28 cattle from the scheme as some of the cattle died due to diseases,” he said.
Another beneficiary Mrs Soneni Ncube, said as a result of the Presidential Heifer Scheme, she is contributing to the growth of the national herd.

She commended the Government for giving them what she described as a special breed of cattle.

“This is a special breed and very expensive because each one of these is selling for as much as US$800. The breed is different from our indigenous ones and it has really boosted my herd,” said Mrs Ncube. She said she was among the first to join the scheme because she was aware of its immense benefits.

“When I heard about the programme, I was one of the first people to complete the necessary forms and in no time we were then told that we should travel to Bulawayo to receive the cattle at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair,” said Mrs Ncube.

She said she received her three heifers from Vice President Constantino Chiwenga during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

Mrs Nucbe said she now has nine cattle from the scheme.

She said the first challenge they faced after receiving the heifers was shortage of water and lack of feed during witner.

“We also didn’t have a bull in the area but that challenge was later resolved,” she said.

Mrs Ncube said feed was expensive hence many farmers were now growing their own feed to cut on costs.

“Iam now planting banner grass which I mix with stockfeed and this has helped us feed our cattle especially the calves,” she said.

 

Mr Philip Ndou from the Mazunga area in Beitbridge said he has doubled the cattle he was given in 2018.

“All I can say is that this is a commendable programme that has helped us a lot to build our herd.

I started off with three and unfortunately one was hit by a car and the other died due to diseases. I now have four cattle. The major challenge is shortage of grazing land and water hence we are appealing to authorities to help us in this regard,” he said.