Zambia has failed to enter the international meat market because there are no measures to control livestock diseases, a University of Zambia (UNZA) School of Agriculture and Sciences lecturer, Pharaoh Sianangoma, has charged.
He said this when he made submissions to the committee on the Auditor General’s report on management and control of livestock diseases as of June 2015.
Dr Sianangoma said animal diseases had posed a challenge to Zambia in her attempt to enter the international beef market.
“With a yawning market, both local and international, and diseases being one major hindrance to the entrance of Zambia into the market, the implementation of an appropriate and adequate disease control and management programme is necessary. If the livestock sector is to contribute at its full genetic potential, disease control measures must be implemented,” he said.
Dr Sianangoma said the Auditor General’s report fell short on scope because it was a single survey and hence could not capture the ramifications of actions that led to what was found prevailing on the ground.
He said while observations contained in the report were correct, it may not represent the true picture because data collected was subjective.
“It is therefore proposed that means be developed for continuous monitoring and evaluation that will not just rely on interviews but also verifications on the ground. In order for this to be successfully undertaken, it is further proposed that the Auditor General’s office be adequately funded,’’ he said.
Dr Sianangoma observed that other stakeholders in the management of livestock diseases whose impact was considerable were not included in the report.
“These include the trade sector which serves as a vehicle of disease transmission. Some traders deliberately elude control checkpoints while trading in livestock and livestock products,’’ he said.
Dr Sianangoma however said the fact that the report noted the lack of a Government policy on livestock development was a serious anomaly that begged for immediate remedy.
Disease control is a must if the country has to be allowed to enter international meat market. Without any practical livestock diseases control measures just forget about selling your meat anywhere apart from DRC where they don’t care.
This problem will continue not until HH stops supplying his to malnourished cattle for beef. I would rather export Chishimba Kambwili’s goats.
The veterinary dept of the Ministry of Livestock is virtually dead under the PF. The small scale farmers have failed to improve their Breeds so as to compete on the international Market. How can our local breeds compete with say ” Bonsmara Breed, Beef Master, Tuli, Angus, Brangus, Boran and Brahaman breeds” just mention a few?. We need a govt that understands cattle ranching. UPND is the Answer
There is no money for PF to be made from kickbacks and bribes in doing the necessary work to enable beef exports.
This work will never be done. Sorry farmers, unless you come up with a slash fund to bribe ministers, then maybe.
MMD had a policy to control diseases & improve our livestock breeds. But Paya Farmer in their tribal myopia of seeing livestock industry support as benefiting HH & the kachemas neglected this important sector of our economy. Like Nawaki says we won’t eat roads but if we have a viable local bred industry ‘investors’ will come to build our roads.
@Gara Wakateya, why under the PF? Did you mean to say under HH?
In my view these issues are rocket science under PF.How can Kambwili who carelessly exposes his criminal acts like he did at Dead NBC understand what is being talked about here?Even Agriculture Minister Lubinda is too busy pocketing rentals from former Namakau House to understand this.If you want to engage this hopeless lot talk about pangas,making the country a construction site and the lot.Then you will get an answer, obviously a stupid answer.
Agriculture as a whole to mean inclusive of everything that falls under what is generally known as farming, rearing, ranching and/or raising anything out of its natural state is in a mess and requires redress with serious mindedness! More than fifty years down the line Zambia is still grappling with obsolete approaches in management of production in the sector! Technologies being adopted are what used to be in the developed countries some 20 years or so ago and brought to our doorstep it is seen as something new! Reluctance by successive governments to put resources into agriculture production, education and, health in favor of politics is responsible for all failings being experienced! Isn’t it simple to know that when you’re satiated (nourished) you become able bodied (healthy) to…
contd…… work and think ahead (education)! The colonialists despite their short comings did not hide to anyone who had eyes to see and ears to hear what good governance and resources management entailed to prosper an economy! The short lived Guy Scott presidency tried to instill the same to the chagrin of looters! Botswana is next door if we don’t want to learn from the ‘boers’ in RSA the cattle industry!
SO Under five himself doesn’t export beef? What a useless fella
In everything some people see the good shear aka kachema umusuma. Be very afraid he is coming
Meant good shepard
Everything has gone haywire. Honestly we have a vet Sch but we have no ways of controlling diseases! So are the animals checked for diseases before slaugthering or we just eat? We are not serious! Where is the Minister of Agriculture? He used to be very vocal but he is quiet now and enjoying the luxurious lifestyle.
Sad to be a Zambian.
This is a deliberate act by powers that be to keep Zambian cattle farmers poor.
Don’t be too quick to condemn! Even if PF have done some good things the Livestock sector was neglected for a very long time to see results immediately! We don’t have all the details just as the respondent said “He said while observations contained in the report were correct, it may not represent the true picture because data collected was subjective”- so we should avoid wholesale condemnation as if we have total evidence! But we know that under PF there has been a program to construct provincial veterinary labs and a number of dip tanks have been constructed in some parts of the country to help in of control diseases. Further,the former state ranches that were to be used as source for improved stocks have been restocked and if well managed will help farmers to rear improved breeds…