Public private partnerships needed in livestock marketing

Farming issues

THERE has been commendable achievements by Government in the past few years with regards to public private partnerships in the agricultural sector.

The success has been very apparent and well documented in the crop production side of agriculture with three or so derelict Government estates resurrected with phenomenal impact on the community.

However, I have observed that the livestock side have been lukewarm with some activity around Maphaneni Ranch in Kezi.

This is also on the production side of the livestock value chain with almost no activity on the marketing end of the chain.

Livestock markets and marketing forms one large itchy point of the value chain which seriously needs scratching.

I therefore appeal to Government to take a conscious decision to engage in public private partnerships with specific thrust of addressing the marketing side of livestock production.

The same amount of zeal energy expended on crop production should be directed towards livestock production as well.

It is a public secret that the reason why there is so much attrition in livestock marketing is because of the bottle neck of the value chain which has a very broad base on the production side and a very narrow apex occupied by just a handful of players.

In simpler words there is not enough competition at the top to spur real value on farmers’ animals.

This is the space which was previously occupied by Government through its giant enterprise, the Cold Storage Company and a huge vacuum was created at the demise of this important parastatal.

I therefore implore Government to seriously consider public private partnership on the livestock marketing side of things.

It has been documented on this very platform that the whole of Matabeleland North province has no abattoir and this could easily form an entry form of such a partnership.

Is it not possible for Government to expand the terms of the public private partnerships in such estates as Arda Jotsholo to include setting up of an abattoir in Lupane or any such centrally convenient location in the province? Surely if such players have the stamina to setup such massive investment involving high tech colossal equipment like centre pivots, they can be nudged towards minimum investment of establishing an abattoir. The call therefore is for powers that be to adopt a multifaceted approach when addressing agriculture challenges as opposed to this linear approach which seems to overlook other important sectors and aspects of agriculture. Why a whole province with about seven districts and livestock production as one of its economic drivers does not have an abattoir baffles me and why this eludes agriculture investors as a business opportunity perplexes me. It doesn’t make moral and economic sense that animals in Hwange have to be transported to be slaughtered in Bulawayo and Plumtree and the meat transported back to the supermarkets in Victoria Falls and Hwange for consumers! It is against this background that I find compelling justification for Government to consider investing energy in bringing more options and opportunities for livestock producers in whatever partnerships they engage in. There is talk which is gaining momentum and traction everyday about command agriculture. I am yet to learn what it is all about but I want to counsel against the all now to familiar mistake by leaders in agriculture of always thinking that agriculture begins and ends with crop production, it doesn’t.

Whatever is being planned should include livestock farmers as well and this should be the guiding principle. We are not just talking about tokenised inclusion of livestock farmers but addressing key issues such as the forever painful livestock marketing side. Uyabonga umntakaMaKhumalo.

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