Cattle farmers in Western Province have appealed to Livestock and Fisheries Minister, Bradford Machila, to lift the ban on the exportation of raw cattle skins.
Western Province Cattle Farmers and Marketing Association Chairperson, Mbikusita Munyinda made the appeal through ZANIS in Mongu today.
Mr. Munyinda said small scale cattle farmers were losing huge revenues through the current policy which bars them from exporting raw cattle skins.
He stated that the total value of an animal was inclusive of the price of its skin hence the need for the Minister to lift the ban.
Mr. Munyinda said a lot of cattle skins were going to waste at the butcheries and abattoirs in the province as farmers cannot turn their animal skins into blue leather which can be exported.
He disclosed that currently ZAMBEEF was enjoying the monopoly of exporting leather as it had the capacity to transform raw skins into blue leather.
Mr. Munyinda has since urged ZAMBEEF to consider buying cattle skins from other cattle farmers and even train them in tanning in the province.
ZANIS
Someone is not playing the game right!! Please make fair policies!!
Policies that make people wallow in poverty are not good at all. Why should people suffer when they have resources? please lift the ban or else open up leather processing industries withing the country so that there will be value added.
You are right #2.There is currently a monopoly by Zambeef in that they are the only org. allowed to export raw hide meaning to get value for the hide,you have to sell your cattle to them.
The govt. and not Zambeef has the duty to set up Tanneries and training Skill centres to empower the locals in this very lucrative trade.
Local MPs should be in the forefront on such matters and those like reviving industries like Zamhort and Cashew.
Barotseland is a sleeping Giant just like the tourists resorts of Northern Province of Zambia.
Mr minister help pipo of barotseland/