Cattle producers to benefit from EU beef strengthening programme

Farmers across 10 districts will benefit from the Beef Enterprise Strengthening and Transformation (BEST) programme, funded by the European Union, which seeks to establish viable cattle business centres in 10 districts across Zimbabwe.

The BEST project received €7.6 million from the European Union to create a robust, competitive beef value chain that promotes enhanced trade, employment creation, food security, and inclusive green economic growth by 2023.

It is targeting 24 900 small to medium cattle producers in the 10 districts.

The districts to benefit under the programme are: Buhera, Makoni, Mt Darwin, Gokwe South, Shurugwi, Kwekwe, Umguza, Lupane, Chiredzi and Mwenezi.

BEST project team leader Mr Mark Benzon said the project was constructing 10 main and 50 satellite cattle business centres to resume consistent and competitive formal cattle markets at district level.

“The cattle business centre acts as a livestock agribusiness hub with supporting infrastructure, where farmers can access extension, input and output marketing, and financial services,” he said.

Physical infrastructure that is currently being constructed at the centres include solar powered boreholes, 60 head capacity feedlots, biogas digester, storage rooms, offices, livestock inputs sales facilities, among others.

In Manicaland, Makoni and Buhera districts will each have one main cattle business centre, supported by five satellite centres.

Mr Benzon said the business centres and satellite centres were at various stages of development, with boreholes already sunk at the Makoni and Buhera main centres to ensure access to clean and reliable water.

Construction and rehabilitation of cattle holding pens is ongoing.

In addition to the cattle business at the centres, the project will promote use of highly nutritious livestock feeds by smallholder cattle producers.

During the period between August and November, natural pastures lose nutritional value mainly owing to lack of grazing management plans, risk of veld fires and increased exposure to droughts.

Buhera is one of the districts most hit by the successive droughts that have affected Manicaland over the past few seasons.

Mr Benzon said the project with Agritex had identified 10 lead farmers in Makoni and Buhera, who have pioneered the growing of highly nutritious fodder and they in turn have mentored 100 more farmers.

At least 4 000 farmers are expected to be mentored under the programme.

One of the pilot lead farmers from Ward 35 in Makoni, Mr Jeremiah Mukuwamombe, said he planted 0,7ha of velvet beans and a small portion of sun hemp during the last rain season.

“While the fodder crops did not reach optimal growth due to a crippling dry spell during the season and low rainfall amount received, we managed to harvest 27 hay bales of velvet beans, which I intend to use to supplement feed for six lactating cows from my herd, he said.

“We have a mixed herd of 34 animals and it is the lactating cows that will need to be supplemented from the end of August going towards the end of the year. This will save us about US$250 in stock feed cost.”

The development model has been applauded as a solution that will resuscitate formal cattle markets and provide timely cattle production services as farmers will realise more financial and social value, which will go a long way to eradicate poverty and increase household incomes.

The cattle business centres will be run and managed by private sector concerns in collaboration with the host community to ensure its sustainability beyond the funded lifespan of the project.

Poor access to formal livestock markets is one of the challenges currently limiting viability of small holder farmers in the beef value chain.

Marketing of cattle was traditionally facilitated by rural district councils through the formal auction system, but most district councils no longer hold regular livestock auctions and those that are held are no longer as competitive as they used to be, leaving farmers vulnerable to middlemen who offer low prices.-herald