COAST REGION: THE government has revealed its affirmative plan prepared to reform the livestock sector, as a way to bring solutions to the pressing challenges facing the sector in the country.
This was said yesterday by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy Dr Doto Biteko while closing a three-day 2024 Livestock Auction and Exhibitions that took place at Kibaha District, Coast Region.
The Deputy Premier urged the Ministry for Livestock and Fisheries to devise methods and strategies that will transform the unproductive livestock keeping and enable modern farming.
“I urge the ministry to keep educating our livestock keepers to transform from what they have been doing so for decades. Changes must occur and we must know that land demands acquisition for pastoralism increases but the land don’t increase,” said Dr Biteko.
“Therefore, let us continue to educate them on modern livestock keeping and encourage the livestock keepers to attend exhibitions like this in large numbers to gain valuable knowledge and technology exposure,” he said.
Dr Biteko emphasised that livestock keepers to accept changes as the world keeps revolving into changes every day in order to benefit financially from the sustainable rearing of their livestock.
He further said that the government has continued to make various efforts to improve the livestock sector in the country, including setting aside specific areas for livestock grazing, while urging livestock keepers to avoid conflicts with farmers, as they depend on each other, as these conflicts have negative social and economic impacts.
Moreover, Dr Biteko said it would be good for the livestock exhibitions to be held regionally in order to reach more farmers in the country, including helping them find solutions to challenges, such as obtaining better livestock breeds or learning modern livestock farming technologies and methods.
On his part, Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Alexander Mnyeti, commended the participants and sponsors of the exhibition, which aimed at educating livestock keepers to bring about productivity.
“Now it is time for our livestock keepers to move away from traditional livestock keeping methods under the traditional umbrella, and we, as responsible ministry, have been providing education frequently through our experts and extension officers,” said Mr Mnyeti.
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Moreover, he explained that livestock keepers walk long distances in search for greener pastures for grazing, and as a result, the livestock are exhausted. He said the government has continued to set aside grazing areas to assist livestock keepers in the country.
“We provide education on modern livestock keeping by fattening livestock. This has helped them to reap big from sales,” he said.
Also, he urged livestock keepers in the country to utilise experts, who provide education on modern and productive livestock keeping to transform the livestock sector in the country.
On his part, the Deputy Minister in the President’s Office, Public Service Management and Good Governance, Ridhiwani Kikwete, who is also the Member of Parliament for Chalinze Constituency, said it is now time for livestock keepers to change by practising modern livestock keeping.
He said President Samia Suluhu Hassan has continued to ensure the livestock sector undergoes significant changes, including addressing the challenges facing livestock keepers.
The Chairperson of the Tanzania Commercial Livestock Keepers Association, Mr Naweed Mulla, said the association aims to bring together livestock keepers, provide advice and assist each other with various challenges, including helping the government reach them easily when they need assistance.
“This association is helpful to us, and I would like to thank the government for assisting us to operate commercially,” said Mr Mulla. He said the association will continue to collaborate with the government to bring further changes in the livestock sector.
