LOOKING AT THE ZAMBIAN LIVESTOCK
FARMING is diverse, it involves crops, which can be seasonal like maize, sorghum, sunflower, cotton etc. and yet other crops can be grown throughout the year like most of the vegetables. Livestock, these are animals that are prominent in the farming circles like cattle, goats, pigs. These are more common among our farmers. Hence, as todays article shall dwell on these.
We cannot dispute that the following provinces have a higher number of animals of the following livestock/ livestock here is being referred to those animals commonly kept by our farming communities. Southern Province has a lot of cattle, goats and pigs. While, Eastern Province has a high number of pigs, goats and cattle. Central Province has a high number of goats, cattle and pigs. Other provinces have good numbers of the various livestock but the three mentioned have a lot in the order given.
The majority of the livestock mentioned above are in the hands of our local or traditional farmers and it is these who should be motivated to do even more in terms of livestock production in order for the nation to earn the much needed forex. Agricultural job wise it is these provinces which can engage a lot of unemployed citizens and avoid or curtailing they trooping into the bright lights of our Zambian cities. Therefore, halting of such exodus would need the establishment of the agricultural industries. Raw material is readily available in our rural areas. Meat processing industries should be established. The byproducts coming out from such plants can be channeled to other food processing plants. The certified meat can be sent or sold to meat outlets like butcheries and supermarkets. Export channels can be availed to such processing plants.
Other by-products such as blood and bone meal can be channeled to other agro-processing, that are involved in livestock feed manufacturing. Indeed, it would be a production chain. With such industries in the various areas would contribute to good products to come out of the farming activities in livestock production. The extension services would equally deliver their best to the farming communities, that is proper services to be given to the hard working farmers.
Eastern Province has the largest number of pigs. This area would need two or more pork processing plants to lessen what could be congestion in one plant. Equally, Southern and Western Provinces have a lot of cattle, in the same vein beef processing plants can be established and only export inspected meat to other parts of the country. This would entail and empower the provinces with meat processing business. Nothing shall go to worst everything shall be processed for other industries to also employ or engage excess labour roaming the country side.
The skins especially from cattle and goats, these can go to the leather industries for the manufacturing of shoes, safety-clothes, hand bags, belts and special jackets. If it is from the pigs, the bristles or so called hairs can go for tooth brush making industries and other brushes.
From the various grains still coming from the farmers, these would be required for feed manufacturing the main ingredients in the animal feed making. The regions would grow the needed grains for the feed manufacturing plants. Therefore, jobs would be made available for the extension workers in crop production as well as in animal production the meat processing plants once established would not lack material for them to be in full production.
However, for this industry to catch the eye of the outside market, the health and veterinary department has to play an important role in the livestock rearing and production to have disease free animals for the nation to be considered for export purposes. If it is the Eastern Province attention has to be paid to the control of East Coast Fever and for the Southern Province Corridor and other tick borne diseases. Once these are taken care of, then the ball is set to produce exportable products to the outside the country especially the neighboring countries.
The emphasis in all the above is to show what the livestock industry can create for the local people in all regions. Agriculture indeed would be the most ideal for the whole nation. Livestock is found at all levels in all areas. Equally, co-operatives can be formed that can organize themselves to get the necessary loans in order to be in animal production business. Organizing such groups would be easy to train.
Putting up proper processing plants would encourage livestock farmers to even ask for good prices. With good quality animals, livestock farmers can even be given options on how they would like to sell their livestock. This can either be on hoof or as a carcass.
Should a number of meat processing plants be many, in an area, farmers in such a situation can even opt for private sales to the processing meat plants or they could prefer to go for auctioning markets. The other system could be the direct farmer/butcher sales which still end up in the meat processing business. In such an arrangement cattle or livestock can be slaughtered at an abattoir with inspection facilities for public health and grading purposes if the meat is to be sold in prescribed areas or is meant for export.
All what has been narrated above is a way the livestock industry can contribute to job availability of the jobless in a number of places within the nation.