By Tapiwa Machemedze
THE Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan is on track, with farmers adopting production-boosting measures such as pasture development for on-feed farm formulation.
Officially launching a 125-herd Boran stud breeding project at Visa Farm in Mvurwi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr John Basera revealed the Livestock Recovery and Growth Plan is on the right track, with the country poised to achieve a US$2 billion livestock economy by 2025.
“This is the Agriculture Food System Transformation Strategy in motion and particularly the livestock recovery and growth plan target of a US$2 billion livestock economy by 2025 currently around US$1.1 billion, but we need to grow it. 80% of households eke out a living out of livestock and they get draught,” he said.
Project founder and A1 farmer Trymore Muderere has excelled beyond expectations growing his boran stud herd from 15 to 125 within a year in addition to breeding tilapia fish, goats and horticulture, all on six hectares.
“This project started one year ago with 15 herds of locally sourced stock we now have a stud stock of 125 and this year we have received 34 calves and we are expecting more. Most cows have a 40 to 62% calving rate, but ours is 100%,” he said.
Production of own pastures assisted Muderere to keep a large number of cattle on a small piece of land and plans are underway to set up a modern lab for embryo transfers which will see the harvesting of eggs from cows to carry out invitro-fertilisation (IVF) resulting in 12 to 18 pregnancies per egg.
