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Minister Chinamasa

Lovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
FORTY goat breeders graduated in Nyakukwe Village in Makoni Central constituency last Saturday.

As a way of improving breeds in the area, Finance and Economic Development Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa donated a he Boer goat to cross-breed the villagers’ herd.

Speaking at the graduation, Cde Chinamasa urged rural farmers to improve and change the way they keep and rear their livestock for them to realise maximum benefits when selling them.

He said rural livestock farmers were getting low prices because of the diminishing value of their cattle, goats and sheep. “Our rural livestock farmers are not getting what they are supposed to be getting because the value of their livestock is diminishing. Rural farmers are not feeding their livestock and they lose out when selling them. Another big problem is the breed. The breed of the livestock is so small and there is need to cross-breed their animals.

“Today, we are witnessing the graduation of farmers who were trained in goat rearing. Goats and cattle are a symbol of wealth, hence that wealth must be well looked after by trained people.

“The world is evolving and we must move with the times. Livestock gives us a livelihood. People pay school fees, health fees and other necessities. We are encouraging these farmers to find something productive and commercially viable to do in rural areas and we have discovered that rearing livestock can be one of them.

“If livestock is well fed and looked after, the prices will be so high and this helps in fighting poverty. Commercial livestock can happen even in rural areas and that is why we are training these people. We are encouraging them to keep road runners on a large scale because they are on demand and fetching good prices,” said Cde Chinamasa.

Mr Gilbert Mapako, who was named the best student, said the training he had received would go a long way in changing the way he was rearing his goats.

“We received training on how to maintain our livestock especially goats. We were also trained on how to add value to our goats and how best to market our livestock. The quality of our goats has been diminishing and we will add value to our goats through cross-breeding with the Boer goats that Cde Chinamasa will avail to us,” he said.