More than 50 000 cattle worth $50 million has been lost
over the past year owing to the January disease and more cattle are set to be
lost if financial resources are not provided urgently, legislators have heard.
At least $11 million is required to contain the disease
which is spread through the bite of the brown ear tick and could be averted by
dipping of cattle.
This was said by the Director of Livestock and Veterinary
Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural
Resettlement, Dr Josphat Nyika, while giving oral evidence before Parliament’s
Portfolio Committee on Agriculture chaired by Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Cde
Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu-PF).
The ministry had been invited to give their 2019 National
Budget analysis and how it impacted on their operations.
Midlands traditional leader Chief Ntabeni wanted to know
what Government was doing to deal with the disease commonly known as January
disease.
“Our bid was $67 million and it was precisely to cater for
the chemicals, as well as foot and mouth disease vaccine both of which require
foreign currency,” said Dr Nyika. “Currently, we are not dipping because we
have run out of chemicals.
“The two companies that won the tender to supply the
chemicals are unable to access foreign currency from the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe.”
Dr Nyika said the vaccine for the disease was manufactured
in China.
“From the summer of 2017 into 2018, we have lost 50 000
head of cattle to tickborne specifically January disease,” he said. “The disease
is caused by the brown tick and is found in almost all our districts because of
non-dipping.”
Dr Nyika said several efforts to engage the central bank
and Treasury had not produced meaningful results.
He said in the 2019 Budget, they got an allocation of $7
million against a bid of $11 million for the January disease.
“Now, with this deficit indicated in this budget, we are
going to lose more cattle in 2019,” said Dr Nyika. “This disease is active in
the rain season and that is now upon us and cattle are dying and they will
continue to die.
“If we are to be provided with foreign currency today, we
would require a lead period of six weeks of manufacturing and distribution.
“We have 4 000 dip tanks that we run with farmers and all
these dip tanks are not dipping. And let me also remind the chairperson that
our economy is agro-based and while agriculture is the back-borne of the
economy, livestock is the backbone of agriculture.
“If it is not supported we might find it difficult to meet
our Vision 2030. The deaths were from December 2017 to now November 2018. We
are going to lose much more because rains is now upon us.”
Dr Nyika said they owed Botswana $3 million in foot and
mouth vaccines that was delivered recently.
Responding to another question, acting director for
resettlement Mrs Kundai Makuku said at least 234 farmers had been compensated.
She said Government was providing compensation to those
farms whose former owners would have consented to the value given to their
improvements and recover it from resettled farmers. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment