IMPRESSED by Zimbabwe’s top-notch pedigree cattle breeds exhibited during the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, Kenyan President Dr William Ruto’s government has reached out to local farmers to facilitate the importation of 15 Simmental bulls and 40 heifers to the East African country.
President Ruto was the guest of honour at this year’s
premier trade expo, which he officially opened on Saturday.
Earlier on he, together with President Mnangagwa, conducted
a tour of exhibition stands and was particularly charmed by the country’s
livestock at the Bulawayo Agricultural Show Society, which runs concurrently
with the annual ZITF.
President Ruto was impressed with Simmental cattle owned by
prominent Matabeleland South farmer, Mr Obert Chinhamo, who runs a successful
enterprise at his farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo, a walking distance from
the Gwanda Highway, about 27km from the city centre.
Following President Ruto’s visit to his stand, Mr Chinhamo
and other farmers will now export 15 Simmental bulls and 40 heifers to Kenya.
This is seen as a milestone development that could open
huge opportunities for local farmers as spin-offs from the flourishing
Zimbabwe-Kenya bilateral ties.
“I have been contacted by a government official from Kenya
who stated that the process to export our Simmental breed to that country has
been initiated and from our herd, I have already selected the best beasts that
we will send to Kenya,” said Mr Chinhamo in an interview at his farm yesterday.
“The Kenyan government official said they want about 15
bulls and between 30 and 40 heifers, depending on how many cattle can be loaded
into the truck.
“You can only load so much in a truck for the long journey
to Kenya.
“The 15 bulls that will be exported are what we call
working bulls in the sense that they are ready to mate and the same goes with
the 40 heifers that they want but we are not exporting pregnant heifers as they
can have complications during the trip and abort.
“I have already contacted other Simmental breeders to
select their best breeds so that together we can meet the numbers that the
Kenyans want.”
Mr Chinhamo’s life story is one of hard work, diligence,
perseverance, and self-belief from the time he ventured into selling
second-hand clothes in the early 90s while working as a fitter and turner for
the Cold Storage Company (CSC). He bought his farm in 1994.
“I have been breeding cattle for the last 30 years, but
when I started, I was into commercial breeding where I would buy cattle from
farmers in surrounding areas for fattening in feedlots,” he said. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment