LIVESTOCK keepers in southern regions of Mtwara and Lindi have decried limited veterinary services and poor road infrastructure for transporting cattle to the market.
They aired their concerns yesterday when speaking at a special
meeting which was used to introduce a programme that seeks to develop
the livestock sector in Tanzania.
The meeting involved a number of players from Lindi and Mtwara regions.
Jafari Chiwila of Nanyumbu urged the government to ensure that it solved challenges facing the industry.
He also suggested the need to dispatch enough veterinarians to as
far as ward and village levels so that livestock were given better
services.
“For the time being, veterinarians who are available need also to
be empowered with cost-effective transport facilities such as
motorcycles,” Chiwila suggested. A Lindi-based livestock keeper, Zuhura
Mnalimuka, cited lack of vaccinations as one of the serious challenges
facing their daily activities.
“This has been a challenge that derails our efforts to have healthy
animals that can compete for lucrative markets,” she lamented.
She also suggested the need for subsidised medications to reach
farmers in time. A Tandahimba-based livestock keeper, Abdallah Sayuki,
asked the government to come up with education programmes to empower
livestock keepers with technical-know-how so that they produce quality
products that could compete in the market. The director of Veterinary
Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr
Abdu Hayghaimo, said the livestock sector contributes less to the GDP
than expected because pastoralists do not take the sector seriously.
“Many keepers don’t see the sector as something that can generate
income. That’s why we’re here to inform them that they should change
their mindsets and view the sector in commercial terms,” he said.
He suggested the need for the players to take the sector seriously
and take it as something that could generate income at family and
national levels.
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