News / Press Release
Urgent intervention needed to save dying cattle
22 Jan 2016 at 13:41hrs | Views
The depressing news that thousands of cattle are dying in the country due to the drought is again a reflection of how the Zanu PF government is unwilling of putting in place proper support mechanisms to protect the farmers.
The high death rate of cattle due to the devastating drought and lack of government support is affecting thousands of farmers across the country. The most hit are the communal farmers who will be left destitute.
The condition in which the cattle are in is shocking while some desperate farmers are being forced to sell their livestock which normally fetches $500 per beast for less than $50.
In Matabeleland South, an estimated 350 000 herd of cattle is expected to die if no measures are not put in place to save the situation.
It is therefore worrying that with these frightening events unfolding across the country, the government remains unwilling to declare a state of emergency in the country.
In this crisis, Zanu PF is turning out to be the real El Nino whose clueless leaders are enjoying luxurious holidays while the country is in a total mess.
During the drought period of 1991-1992, the same government's incompetence and unpreparedness led to the death of over one million cattle.
The national herd, which has been on a decline since Zanu PF's controversial land reform programme, is set to further dramatically decline due to the drought and ineffectiveness of the Zanu PF government.
It is self-evidently clear that our crisis in Zimbabwe is emanating from a centre that can no longer hold. Robert Mugabe has shown that he is only interested in the politics of power, power retention and personal aggrandizement.
The cash-strapped government should admit it has failed and appeal to international donors to save the deteriorating situation and assist especially the resource challenged communal farmers.
The neglect of the Zanu PF government in supporting farmers to cope and in safeguarding national food security has had disastrous effects including lost livelihoods.
As a pro-poor party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is saddened that in some parts of the country, villagers are to walking for kilometers in search of water sources for the cattle as most water sources in the countryside have dried up.
In some worse cases, the villagers and cattle are being forced to drink from the same reservoirs.
Zimbabwe should take note of what other southern African countries in similar situations have done.
In South Africa, its government has declared five provinces drought disaster areas while in Zambia the government is now importing maize from South America to feed the people and for stock feed.
In order to mitigate the drought and save the country's cattle herd, there is need to urgently introduce supplementary feeding schemes for the dying herd.
There is need for special attention in rural infrastructure development and investment in order to protect the poor.
To cope with climate change, the government should increase the availability of animal feeds through targeted programmes, such as ranches and enriched fodder.
The high death rate of cattle due to the devastating drought and lack of government support is affecting thousands of farmers across the country. The most hit are the communal farmers who will be left destitute.
The condition in which the cattle are in is shocking while some desperate farmers are being forced to sell their livestock which normally fetches $500 per beast for less than $50.
In Matabeleland South, an estimated 350 000 herd of cattle is expected to die if no measures are not put in place to save the situation.
It is therefore worrying that with these frightening events unfolding across the country, the government remains unwilling to declare a state of emergency in the country.
In this crisis, Zanu PF is turning out to be the real El Nino whose clueless leaders are enjoying luxurious holidays while the country is in a total mess.
During the drought period of 1991-1992, the same government's incompetence and unpreparedness led to the death of over one million cattle.
The national herd, which has been on a decline since Zanu PF's controversial land reform programme, is set to further dramatically decline due to the drought and ineffectiveness of the Zanu PF government.
It is self-evidently clear that our crisis in Zimbabwe is emanating from a centre that can no longer hold. Robert Mugabe has shown that he is only interested in the politics of power, power retention and personal aggrandizement.
The neglect of the Zanu PF government in supporting farmers to cope and in safeguarding national food security has had disastrous effects including lost livelihoods.
As a pro-poor party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is saddened that in some parts of the country, villagers are to walking for kilometers in search of water sources for the cattle as most water sources in the countryside have dried up.
In some worse cases, the villagers and cattle are being forced to drink from the same reservoirs.
Zimbabwe should take note of what other southern African countries in similar situations have done.
In South Africa, its government has declared five provinces drought disaster areas while in Zambia the government is now importing maize from South America to feed the people and for stock feed.
In order to mitigate the drought and save the country's cattle herd, there is need to urgently introduce supplementary feeding schemes for the dying herd.
There is need for special attention in rural infrastructure development and investment in order to protect the poor.
To cope with climate change, the government should increase the availability of animal feeds through targeted programmes, such as ranches and enriched fodder.
Source - Jacob Mafume - PDP National Spokesperson
