The government has advised farmers to buy dipping chemicals to save their livestock from tick-borne diseases.
Responding to questions from legislators in Parliament last week, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri said:
Government is aware that we have a lot of cattle which are dying because of tick-borne diseases. As Government, we are buying chemicals and taking them to the rural areas so that cattle can get dipping services.
At times we delay sending these chemicals to the dip tanks in rural areas. I am now informing Members of Parliament to go to their constituencies and encourage these farmers to pull their own resources and buy these chemicals. It is pointless for a farmer to be proud of seeing a very big herd of cattle then they die because he or she cannot sell just one beast to sustain the remaining ones.
We are calling on members of the public that as farmers we should be proactive and take measures to invest in our cattle. Take these animals as collateral and buy chemicals so that we serve the draught power.