By Jeff Kapembwa

Zambia’s livestock potential remains untapped on account of recurring livestock diseases, lack of enhanced husbandry practices, and innovation to double animal production and meet home and export markets,  notes Fisheries and Livestock minister, Makozo Chikote.

Zambia’s animal production, chiefly cattle for beef production has stagnated around 4,000 over the years, and efforts to double the capacity has been frustrated by ravaging foot and mouth diseases, among other animal ailments. The lack of sustained innovation to bolster output has been a factor.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Makozo Chikote notes that while there has been Government determination to prop up animal production, several diseases.

The diseases including swine fever, foot and mouth diseases among other ailments detected in pigs and other animals have remained a challenge to overcome despite concerted support from cooperating partners but the problem was surmountable.

Meeting local and export market needs remains a challenge chiefly in beef supply because of the stagnant numbers of cattle to supply consumers at home and in foreign markets hence the need to double the production through innovation and improve on animal management skills.

There are plans by the Government to double cattle production to 8 million from the present and an average of 4.5 million herds per annum as demand grows.

“We are working out various innovative ways to overcome or indeed drastically, the effects on animals of the various foot and mouth diseases, tick-borne diseases chiefly on cattle,” Minister Chikote challenged farmers during the 95^th Agriculture show in Lusaka.

“We have to increase the production of cattle to 8 million from the current 4.5 million shared among commercial and smallholder farmers,”

The Government is resolved to scale up information sharing meetings between farmers and extension officers on the dipping of animals against tick-borne diseases, and detecting symptoms before severe infections, among others to lessen the challenges.

It will further champion innovation among farmers to lessen foot and mouth and other diseases that are preventable through information sharing while stepping up collaboration with various cooperating partners including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other ‘like-minded’ partners that seek to assist Zambia.

Last year finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane had in his quest to prop the agriculture sector through budgeting received a US$1 billion fillip from cooperating partners, with a widespread investment in all areas and boost the country’s food sustainability.

Minister Musokotwane told lawmakers that various donors had pledged to extend help towards Zambia’s quest to rekindle agriculture-one of the country’s growth sectors and meet the food security needs and export to neighboring countries.

The funding was planned for dams, dip tanks, irrigation, and other disease preventing techniques.