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Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE has enough stocks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccinations for livestock while the intensive dipping programme has reduced the January Disease infections to 49 percent, the Veterinary Services Department has said.

January disease (Theileriosis) is transmitted by ticks and is more prevalent during the rainy season.

According to the Veterinary Services Department, tick-borne diseases are responsible for about 60 percent of annual losses in livestock.

This, together, with FMD have become serious threats to the national herd building drive.

Speaking during a recent tour of the CSC Boustead Beef Zimbabwe factory in Bulawayo, Veterinary Services Department chief director, Dr Josphat Nyika, said Government support has enhanced the department’s ability to contain animal disease outbreaks.

“On disease control, we are so lucky in that the Second Republic is supporting us.

We have enough foot and mouth vaccines and enough dipping chemicals,” he said.

“Regarding the January Disease scourge, it has been reduced to 49 percent because of intensive dipping that we are doing.

This is because of Government support during times of an emergency.”

Turning to the health of the country’s livestock, Dr Nyika said they were continuously working on improving the quality by following scientific trends and technology.

“We have developed our livestock growth plan, which looks at improving animal nutrition, health and genetics.

In genetics, we are doing a lot of AI, which improves breeds so that we upgrade the Tuli and Mashona into big carcasses that are needed by export and the local market.”

Dr Nyika said farmers should now work towards transiting from subsistence farming to commercial ventures.

He said the Veterinary Services Department was geared for CSC reopening and is prepared to provide services aimed at assisting the livestock sector’s growth.

“Our livestock growth plan now takes livestock production as a business and we have about 5 000 Agritex officers as well as 1 500 veterinary officers who are all motorised to help farmers,” said Dr Nyika.

He said the target was to grow the 18 000 A1 farmers into small and medium enterprises and A2 farmers into medium and large scale commercial farmers.

Mr Nick Hovercraft said despite the challenges encountered in the delivery of key spare parts for the CSC plant, the factory will resume operation in August.

On the number of projected cattle to be slaughtered per day, he said the ultimate aim is 1 000 but as a start, they are looking at 200.

At its peak in the 1990s, the company that owns four abattoirs, used to employ 1 500 permanent workers and about 700 casual employees. – @nqobilebhebhe.