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From George Maponga in Masvingo
Government will in the next 12 months embark on a massive livestock breeding programme with about 10 000 doses of semen extracted from hybrid bulls set to be released soon for artificial insemination of cattle in both communal and resettlement areas countrywide. This comes as Government has expressed concern over the continued drop in the country’s cattle herd from about six million beasts two years ago to the current five million.

Plans are also underway to import hybrid bulls mainly from South Africa and super breeds of goats and sheep that would be used in the breeding programme aimed improving the quality of local livestock.

Co-Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Davis Marapira yesterday said the country currently had 10 000 doses of semen extracted from hybrid bulls awaiting to be used for artificial insemination as part of on-going efforts to improve Zimbabwe’s beef herd.

He said the semen doses were currently being preserved in semen banks and would be used to kick-start the ambitious cattle breeding programme over the next twelve months.

“We already have 10 000 doses of semen that was extracted from hybrid bulls that we want to use for artificial insemination of cattle in communal and resettlement areas to improve the quality of our beef herd over the next 12 months.

“The semen doses will be enough to inseminate 10 000 cattle and we are hopeful that we will be able to cover a lot of ground in the on-going quest to improve both the numbers and quality our cattle herd,’’ he said.

Cde Marapira said the cattle breeding programme would be done at Arda and CSC farms where hybrid bulls that would be imported from South Africa would be kept.

“We are still in the process of conducting the types of hybrid bulls to be imported from mainly South Africa for our cattle breeding programme because the bulls that will be imported should be able to acclimatise to local weather conditions for them to thrive. At the moment we have also not yet come up with an exact number of bulls that will be imported,’’ said Cde Marapira.

He said besides bulls, Government would also import super goats and sheep for the breeding programme that seeks to effect a wholesale improvement of the quality of local livestock.

Cde Marapira said Government would work closely with the private sector in financing the livestock breeding programme saying it was concerned by the continuous decline of the local cattle population.

“Government is not happy with the runaway drop in our livestock population especially cattle.
“The private sector especially those companies that run abattoirs that slaughter cattle everyday for commercial purposes should partner Government in the re-stocking programme because they will also be affected if the cattle population continues to drop,’’ said Cde Marapira.

Government wanted to restore Zimbabwe’s status as a major beef producer and exporter by helping cattle farmers in both communal and resettlement areas to improve the quality and size of their herd.

This would also result in the revival of fortunes of the Cold Storage Company whose once thriving plants in cities such as Bulawayo, Marondera and Masvingo are now mothballed owing to a dip in Zimbabwe’s cattle population over the past decade and half.