DODOMA: EXECUTIVE directors of some district councils do not submit proposals for requesting funds for the construction of cattle dips despite various reminders on the availability of funds at the Finance Ministry, the Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Alexander Mnyeti has said.
He said in Parliament yesterday that they have directed district executive directors to submit to the Ministry of Finance requests for the funds to construct the dips livestock dips in efforts to eliminate tick-related diseases.
“I urge the Members of Parliament when attending the council’s planning and finance committees in your respective areas to be very strict and push the executive directors to seek the funds because some of them need the push,” He said.
He said when responding to a question by Aysharose Matembe (Special Seats, CCM) who wanted to know plans in place for construction of the cattle dips as promised by the government.
In her basic question, she said, the government had promised to construct cattle dips in Siuyu, Ulyampiti, Isuna and Visule villages in this financial year but so far, no tender has been advertised. She wanted to know when exactly the pledge would be honoured.
The Deputy Minister said the ministry had initiated an awareness programme on the best practice of livestock keeping to do away with traditional ways to give keepers more profit.
Mr Mnyeti elaborated that the government is going on with a nationwide programme of dips construction to control diseases especially those transmitted by parasites, ticks, flies, lice and mice, among others.
In the 2023/24 financial year, the government allocated 5.7bn/- for the construction of 246 livestock dips in 63 district councils. In 2022/23, the government constructed four cattle dips in Singida East Constituency and in 2023/24 the same number are being constructed in the villages of Ndughamunga, Unyampanda, Ughandi and Ngamu.
