By Gamuchirai Mugadzaweta

IN 2000, Zimbabwe’s cattle population was 6,8 million but it drastically declined over the years due to drought, various diseases and input costs that had become unbearable for cattle farmers.
This resulted in high beef prices, leaving consumers with no option but to turn to cheap imported chickens, among other measures.
It is against this background that the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) held a workshop in Harare recently with various players in the beef production industry which zoomed on the Zimbabwean beef sector, particularly on ways to revive it.
These included representatives from abattoirs, farmers, auctioneers and veterinary services personnel who gave their input and support to the beef industry.
As guest of honour, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Responsible for Livestock Development, Paddy Zhanda, applauded the CTC for organising the workshop.
He said the livestock sector had massive potential.
“The livestock sector has potential to contribute up to 86 percent of household income in natural regions three, four and five,” he said.
“Since the early 1990s, Zimbabwe’s beef sector has significantly transformed from a state-controlled export-oriented entity to a fragmented system where private abattoirs have become the mainstay of the sector, hence beef farming is no longer based on massive individually-owned ranching operations. It has instead become anchored on small farms with disintegrated operations.”
In tandem with this, Minister Zhanda said, are changes in the patterns of meat retailing, cattle marketing and purchasing which has led to the gradual decrease in Government controls, thereby creating new value chains.
The CTC, which carried out a study on the challenges bedevilling the beef sector noted that farmers lack animal husbandry and cattle marketing knowledge and do not treat cattle rearing as business.
The study also noted that farmers tend to ignore simple, but crucial steps when rearing cattle for business.
High fees for dipping and other services have also been cited as another factor contributing to the low quality cattle from some farmers.
It was also established in the study that Rural District Council (RDC) levies are way too high, yet the RDCs have not ploughed back the revenue attained from cattle marketing.
“All these unofficial costs tend to affect cattle marketing,” reads part of the findings.
Meanwhile, cattle farmers bemoaned all these costs and urged Government to direct and regulate the industry’s operations and streamline the various costs paid per sector
The report also recommended that Government allow the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to participate in foot and mouth disease control and increase support in cattle production.
It also noted that the international market standards based on the European Union (EU) grading and dressing percentage tend to favour exotic breeds and discriminate indigenous breeds common among most local farmers, hence it does not fetch full value because of its low quality compared to the exotic breed.
The report further recommended that Government be firm when it comes to expenses that players like RDCs, veterinary services and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) charge farmers so that minimum costs are incurred, making beef affordable.
According to CTC findings, the base of all the high charges and other rates has been attributed to auctioneers who pass charges as they tend to make profits on their side.
The report says auctioneers must desist from buying cattle or colluding with buyers, putting the price higher than what will be expected or to a certain extent under-charge the seller while making profits on their side.
Farmer organisations were urged to have mechanisms that help them disseminate information on market price and requirements to their members if they are to fully benefit and improve beef production.
Agriculture plays an important role, contributing to the GDP of any economy, especially in Africa. In Zimbabwe the sector contributes 18,5 percent to the GDP and 33 percent of all the foreign earnings.
In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, 70 percent of its population depends on agriculture.
In a bid to improve Zimbabwe’s cattle population and productivity, Government recently launched a special programme on livestock production dubbed ‘Command Livestock’ which puts emphasis on Matabeleland and Masvingo, with Manicaland and Mashonaland also included, but on a smaller scale.
Government is in the process of mobilising US$48 million to resuscitate the Cold Storage Company (CSC) facilities countrywide.
The programme is aimed at catapulting Zimbabwe’s beef industry to former annual exports of 14 000 tonnes which were last achieved in 1999.
Already, US$150 million has been unveiled by Government to cater for restocking, equipment, pasture development and resuscitation of the CSC.
It also covers the resuscitation of dip tanks, paddocks and livestock-related infrastructure in communal areas to ensure livestock is reared on the best possible facilities to guarantee quality product.
Veterinary personnel are also being equipped technically so they have a strong know-how regarding commercial livestock management in order to ensure the success of the Command Livestock Programme.