Govt Says It Will Build 1 500 New Dip Tanks To Combat January Disease
The Government intends to rehabilitate 800 dip tanks across the country and build 1 500 new dip tanks this year.
This was said by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary John Basera on Sunday while speaking at Venice in Mhondoro-Ngezi district during the official launch of the national war against the January Disease. The Herald quoted Basera as saying:
If we win the war against January disease, we are guaranteed as a nation to meet Vision 2030 way back before the targeted year.
As we target to achieve this, we have put in place plans to rehabilitate dip tanks and build new dip tanks by June this year.
Currently, we have 4 000 dip tanks countrywide and 80 percent of these are functional.
The remaining 20 percent is targeted to be rehabilitated by June this year as we seriously intensify the fight again January Disease.
We want to increase our herd to six million from 5.4 million this year. This target can also be protected if we construct 1 500 new dip tanks countrywide.
Tick-borne diseases, among them January Disease (theileriosis), have killed at least 500 000 cattle in Zimbabwe in the past five years.
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