Government after top quality stud seed
GOVERNMENT recognises the importance of the stud industry in providing top quality seed stock to enhance livestock production and has pledged to continue devoting considerable resources to protect and promote stud breeding, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, David Marapira has said.
The stud industry continues to grow in terms of pedigree breeds and new registered breeders and in 2023 the Herd Book registered a net increase of 17 breeders.
Addressing delegates at the 56th Edition of the Annual National Breed Sale organised by the Zimbabwe Herd Book last week, Deputy Minister, Marapira said despite the Herd Book being a small producer base, it has implemented BREEDPLAN, the world’s leading performance recording software, enabling the country to adopt the latest technologies to select seed stock and better serve the commercial herd.
Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development David Marapira views some of the cattle at the 56th Edition of the Annual National Breed Sale organised by the Zimbabwe Herd Book.
“As you may be aware, the smallholder sector has been supplying 90 percent of all cattle that supply meat to our consumers. That is why my ministry places great attention to improving productivity from this beef subsector by availing good genetics through Artificial Insemination.
“I sincerely acknowledge the support to the ministry’s smallholder artificial insemination programme afforded by stud breeders and there is an enormous need to expand these services to all corners of the country,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Herd Book was established by an Act of Parliament in 1980 to oversee the registration of pedigree livestock.
Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development David Marapira with some of the delegates.
Stud breeding involves the controlled mating of livestock and detailed birth notifications of progeny with parents are recorded in the Herd Book.
In addition, breeders also record fertility, survival and growth performance. Stud breeding, or genetics, is the cornerstone of commercial livestock production.
A strong commercial industry is dependent on a healthy, vibrant stud industry to offer stud/breeding stock that meets requirements in a range of production environments and market scenarios.
Deputy Minister, Marapira said this year is proving to be difficult for cattle producers due to poor rains that have resulted in water shortages and limited grazing in many parts of the country.
In addition, of enormous concern, is the impact of Theileriosis, which has decimated cattle in many villages and the continued scourge of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks seriously disrupting livestock production and marketing, posing a serious threat to the livestock industry.
“My ministry is actively collaborating with representatives of livestock value chains including Zimbabwe Beef Producers Society, Farmers’ Unions, Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers as well as Zimbabwe Abattoirs Association to craft strategies to mitigate effects of El Nino induced drought.
“Chief among these is ensuring availability of key raw materials such as maize and wheat brans, molasses and oilseed cakes for the making of cattle survival feeds. We are actively co-ordinating harvesting of hay bales as well as drilling and rehabilitating boreholes to mitigate drought impacts in the worst affected regions.”-chronicle
