News / National
Local cattle breeder donates semen
03 Oct 2024 at 08:43hrs | Views
A local stud breeder is offering free semen from his stud bulls to help improve cattle breeds in communal areas, aligning with the national effort to rebuild Zimbabwe's livestock herd. This initiative is seen as a crucial step towards enhancing the quality and productivity of the country's cattle.
The offer comes in response to discussions within the Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank (ZATT), where experts highlighted the urgent need to improve both the quantity and quality of livestock, particularly in resource-limited communal areas.
Mr. Obert Chinhamo, a prominent stud breeder from Esigodini in Umzingwane District, Matabeleland South, and the current president of the Simmental Simbrah Society of Zimbabwe, has pledged to donate semen from his bulls to support the national livestock improvement program.
"When I made the pledge to donate semen a few weeks ago, I had 12 bulls. I have since sold six of them after no one heeded my call. The offer, however, still stands as long as there are institutions that can harvest the semen from the bulls and store it in nitrogen tanks," Mr. Chinhamo explained.
Chinhamo suggested that institutions such as Matopos Research Station and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), which have experience in artificial insemination (AI), could help harvest and store the semen. He also noted that more breeders could be encouraged to donate semen for the program, as long as the primary beneficiaries are communal farmers.
Livestock Farmers Union (LFU) chairman Mr. Sifiso Sibanda praised the initiative, emphasizing its potential to boost the national herd, improve cattle breeds, and transform livestock into pedigreed animals. "This donation could help the country by promoting import substitution and even allowing for exports of semen, meat, live animals, skins, and hides to generate foreign currency," Sibanda said.
Dr. Reneth Mano, executive administrator of the Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC), echoed these sentiments, stating that producing semen from the country's 14 cattle breeding societies would be a key driver for expanding Zimbabwe's beef herd through AI.
Zimbabwe has been importing bovine semen to meet breeding needs. In 2023, the country imported US$426,000 worth of semen, and over the past five years, it spent US$1.5 million on bovine semen and US$11.12 million on purebred cattle for breeding. However, Dr. Mano emphasized that domestic breeders, including Matopos and Henderson Livestock Research Stations, alongside universities such as CUT and Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), are now producing certified semen, helping the country save on foreign currency expenditures.
In 2020, the government approved the Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan (2021-2026), a strategic initiative aimed at improving livestock production and laying the foundation for the sector to play a vital role in transforming farmers' livelihoods and contributing to agriculture-led industrial development.
This program by local breeders like Chinhamo is a welcome complement to the government's broader vision of a sustainable and thriving livestock industry.
The offer comes in response to discussions within the Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank (ZATT), where experts highlighted the urgent need to improve both the quantity and quality of livestock, particularly in resource-limited communal areas.
Mr. Obert Chinhamo, a prominent stud breeder from Esigodini in Umzingwane District, Matabeleland South, and the current president of the Simmental Simbrah Society of Zimbabwe, has pledged to donate semen from his bulls to support the national livestock improvement program.
"When I made the pledge to donate semen a few weeks ago, I had 12 bulls. I have since sold six of them after no one heeded my call. The offer, however, still stands as long as there are institutions that can harvest the semen from the bulls and store it in nitrogen tanks," Mr. Chinhamo explained.
Chinhamo suggested that institutions such as Matopos Research Station and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), which have experience in artificial insemination (AI), could help harvest and store the semen. He also noted that more breeders could be encouraged to donate semen for the program, as long as the primary beneficiaries are communal farmers.
Livestock Farmers Union (LFU) chairman Mr. Sifiso Sibanda praised the initiative, emphasizing its potential to boost the national herd, improve cattle breeds, and transform livestock into pedigreed animals. "This donation could help the country by promoting import substitution and even allowing for exports of semen, meat, live animals, skins, and hides to generate foreign currency," Sibanda said.
Dr. Reneth Mano, executive administrator of the Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC), echoed these sentiments, stating that producing semen from the country's 14 cattle breeding societies would be a key driver for expanding Zimbabwe's beef herd through AI.
Zimbabwe has been importing bovine semen to meet breeding needs. In 2023, the country imported US$426,000 worth of semen, and over the past five years, it spent US$1.5 million on bovine semen and US$11.12 million on purebred cattle for breeding. However, Dr. Mano emphasized that domestic breeders, including Matopos and Henderson Livestock Research Stations, alongside universities such as CUT and Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), are now producing certified semen, helping the country save on foreign currency expenditures.
In 2020, the government approved the Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan (2021-2026), a strategic initiative aimed at improving livestock production and laying the foundation for the sector to play a vital role in transforming farmers' livelihoods and contributing to agriculture-led industrial development.
This program by local breeders like Chinhamo is a welcome complement to the government's broader vision of a sustainable and thriving livestock industry.
Source - The Herald
