Mellisa Chatikobo
THE European Union-funded Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP) said 1 000 small to medium pig farmers across the country are to benefit from a $6,2 million loan facility that will address feed and vaccination costs to boost pig production.
Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday recently, ZAGP systems development specialist Alex Nyakatsapa said the programme would ensure small holder farmers have access to finance.
“In addition to the financial inclusion facility, the project is also running a collective procurement of vaccines to reduce costs and wastage at farm level. The bulk input procurement is helping to address lingering challenges faced by small and medium scale pig producers such as wastages of vaccines such as Farrowsure and Litterguard which are available in high dosage mainly suitable for large scale producers.
“Through direct meat marketing consignment stockist arrangements the farmers are guaranteed offtake of their pork after the cycle at competitive prices. The facility is addressing bottlenecks at the production node of the value chain for small and medium scale farmers,” Nyakatsapa said.
He added that the capital injection targets to address feed costs which are beyond reach for small scale farmers.
“In the agenda of promoting 1 000 small to medium scale producers registered under the programme, the partnership with First Mutual Micro Finance, a credit package of feed, drugs and other essential inputs to produce 523 porkers over the next four months was disbursed. t is targeting all the eight districts we are working in, so far we have done Marondera, Goromonzi and Murewa and in Mash west we are finalising Chegutu, Makonde and Zvimba. We have not yet started in Seke and Mhondoro,” he said.
Meanwhile, the report on the first round crop and livestock assessment for the 2021/22 crop and livestock season indicated a growth of 13 percent, government is pushing to reach 18 000 tonnes of pork by 2025.
Last year the Agriculture deputy minister Vangelis Haritatos said the ministry has put in programmes to boost livestock.
“Livestock Recovery Growth Plan aims at a US$1,9 billion economy by year 2025 and the key strategies are by maintaining animal health issues, genetics, nutrition programs and production of small stock to adapt to climate change,” he said.
