Government bans communal farmers from selling own cattle

By Staff Reporter

The government has banned the buying and sale of cattle among individuals and households in communal lands in place of a centralised system where livestock would be gathered in one place on specific dates and points to conduct the transactions.

Communal farmers use cattle as a store of currency and often sell it when they are trying to raise funds to finance their children’s education or during family emergency situations.

However, communal farmers often find themselves in panic sale of their primary source of wealth during times of disease or famine as is the current season where the country is experiencing the worst drought in 43 years.

Addressing MPs in parliament on Wednesday, Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka said the switch to a centralised buying and selling system was meant to curb stocktheft as well as the exploitation of communal farmers by buyers who often take advantage of their desperation to buy cattle for low prices.

“I did say that one of the major issues, especially in the drought stricken provinces like Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Midlands and Masvingo, which hold about 60% of our national cattle herd is that as a result of this drought, households may be forced to panic-sell cattle thinking that the cattle would deteriorate and eventually die and they would not get anything out of them.

“What we have done as a ministry, is to ban all household-based cattle sales, ban all village-based cattle sales so that the cattle sales can now take place at these ward drought mitigation centres on designated calendar days that are advertised in advance.

“The cattle clearance takes place at this ward where everyone else is on reducing theft but more importantly, we then bring in an auctioneer and buyers who are then able to bid and compete for the cattle.

“Hopefully, through the bidding process, we will see an increased price for these cattle.”

The minister said a sales calendar is being developed this coming week under his ministry.

But legislators felt the decision to bunch cattle in one place at every given time would give rise to the spread of diseases.

Masuka defended the policy, saying this was a multi-pronged approach aimed at mitigating the effects of drought, disease while giving livestock access to medicine, water and food relief at a time where water sources have dried due to insufficient rainfall and grazing pastures have depleted.

He said the current dry season has given rise to diseases associated with the dryness such as anthrax adding “that will also see heightened incidents of debilitating diseases and this will operate to assist in reducing cattle deaths in dry regions”.

“Government’s response has been to re-prioritise the drilling of boreholes and availing water to the rural communities by focusing on the 1 620 rural wards and principally prioritising regions 4 and 5 – the 1 035 wards in regions 4 and 5. 

“So, at this ward drought mitigation centre, the intention is to be able to do the 1 035, resources permitting in as short a time as possible so that in the next four months to “November, we are able to save as many livestock as possible.”

Masuka said 2.5 million of the 5.7 million strong national herd was at risk. 

“So, at this drought ward drought mitigation centre, the central point is the village business unit; a borehole which is solar powered and drip irrigation so that the community can have safe and clean water, nutrition gardens and drinking troughs for livestock and feeding troughs for supplementary feeding,” he said.

“We are mobilising supplementary feed for 1620 wards.  We have signed contracts with companies that supply silage and other supplementary feeds for distribution to these drought-stricken wards.

“We also put a spray race to enable the cattle in that particular area to be able to be sprayed for the diseases.  We have also appointed focal persons for all these wards and created a WhatsApp group for communication so that we do not lose cattle.”