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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau

Farmers in Chipinge have resorted to selling their livestock to middle men at very low prices to avoid losing animals to starvation as grazing land has started depleting owing to a poor rainfall season.

Low-lying areas in Chipinge have always been susceptible to droughts, which usually results in the outbreak of diseases.

Chipinge District Livestock officer Dr John Mwandifura said farmers in the district’s low veld areas were now faced with a challenge of buying supplementary feed, which is expensive hence the need to sell their livestock at give-away prices.

“Areas in the low veld like Bangwe, Tanganda, Kondo, Manzvire, Checheche and Mahenye are faced with a serious challenge emanating from shortage of grazing land. These areas are along Save River and because water levels are very low, animals have to cover long distances to get to where there is water. The upkeep of the livestock has become high for farmers when we include dip and other chemicals as well as stock feed.

“Those farmers who sell their livestock are not getting the right value since they are desperate and agree to low price offered by middlemen,” he said.

Dr Mwandifura said some farmers were selling cattle for US$300, while goats and sheep were going for US$20 and US$30 respectively to people who then sell to abattoirs at a much higher price.

He said the Livestock Department was working with several partners to educate farmers on sustainable ways of managing their livestock and ensure that they do not fall  prey to the middlemen.

“The grazing lands that are available now might take us to September but from there, farmers will have more challenges as they might even lose their livestock so we encourage farmers to sell some of their cattle so that they can buy stock feed and remain with a manageable herd.

“We have partners who are helping us train farmers and we are encouraging them to sell the older herd and maintain a younger stock which is easier to manage,” he said.

The farmers are also being assisted with accessing markets where they can get good money for their livestock.