Story by Providence Maraneli
LIVESTOCK farmers in Matabeleland South have turned the corner in the fight to restore the provincial pride of being a livestock-driven economy by embarking on massive silage production.
With Zimbabwe’s drive to turn around the fortunes of the livestock sector having been slowed down by the El Nino-induced drought and diseases, there is consensus among commercial breeders that there should be a robust process to bounce back, including massive fodder production and restocking.
It is with that in mind that commercial farmers in Matabeleland South have adopted massive fodder production as they set out to reduce over-reliance on pastures which have become unpredictable due to climate change.
One such farmer is Mr Jairos Mahlangu of Irrisvale, whose thriving white Brahman herd is testament to a sector that has turned the corner.
“As commercial farmers, we must improve the provincial herd and subsequently the national herd. We realise that last year we had a lot of poverty deaths, so we have embarked on silage making. We have maize and sorghum for silage making and we have also kick-started hay bailing. We are not leaving anything to chance. Our wish is never to be hit by drought the way it did last year,” he said.
Another farmer Mr France Ndlovu whose 600 herd of mixed breeds in Esigodini is not leaving anything to chance, with the construction of silage pits to process the 10-hectare forage sorghum crop already at an advanced stage.
“We have started constructing silage pits. We are already grinding our millet, by September, or October, we will be able to sustain our herd. We are planning to turn the whole plot into zero grazing because we realised that we can make more from planting fodder than waiting for the grass to grow. Changes in climate has made it difficult to have normal seasons and this threatens production, the pastures are taking long to replenish and they are getting small,”
Government has intensified fodder production, supporting communal farmers with inputs and extension services as the country strives to combat mortality and improve production.
“The situation has greatly improved. The province lost about 19 000 cattle to drought last year, but farmers used that as a lesson and they have embarked on massive fodder production, with many now making silage on their farms. Our officers are on the ground training and making sure that we make use of all the material we have, so that we do not suffer the way we did last year,” Matabeleland South livestock officer Mr Hatityi Muchemwa stated.
Matabeleland South cattle herd stands just above 630 000 after losing 19 000 cattle to drought last year.
Government is expecting the livestock industry to grow to a US$3.4 billion economy by the end of this year after the sector made strides in improving productivity through a cocktail of measures including artificial insemination, fodder production and production of vaccines.
