CSC to breed 14 000 cows and 360 bulls

The Cold Storage Company will soon embark on a project to breed 14 000 cows and 360 bulls at its ranches countrywide, a Cabinet minister has said.

In a report presented before a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made

said this was part of efforts to resuscitate the company.

"The programme will have an artificial insemination component to complement the bulls," he said.

Dr Made also said the CSC would expand its cattle fattening project to 4 300 cattle at Darwendale, Wilsgrave, Chivumburu and Mushandike depots.

He also said CSC will also have a cattle finance scheme of 30 000 head of cattle placed in A1, A2 and communal and small-scale farmers.

"Half of the herd will be breeders while the other half will be feeders," said Dr Made.

In 2010, under the first phase of the restructuring programme, the Government prioritised the privatisation and commercialisation of 10 parastatals with CSC being one of them as part of its efforts to improve operational efficiency.

The Cold Storage Company is one the entities the Government identified under the first phase of the restructuring exercise.