Pan African Visions

Zimbabwe’s Smallholder Farmers To Receive South African Imported Superior Pig Genetics

October 25, 2023

By Wallace Mawire  

The European Union (EU) funded Value Chain Alliance for Livestock Upgrading and Empowerment (VALUE) project will officially hand over 153 superior pig genetics (grandparent sows and boars, F1 gilts) imported from South Africa, to enhance quality breeding programme in Zimbabwe.

VALUE Project is a brainchild of project partners namely Action Aid Zimbabwe (Lead), Mercy Corps (MC), COSV, Braford Farming, Zvikomborero Farms and Michview Enterprise. The imported genetics were collectively purchased by small holder farmers and the project as part of replacement stock following importation of 244 pig genetics in April 2020.

The importation marks a crucial step in the project's value chain development strategy, aimed at sustaining the productivity and economic viability of small-scale pig farming operations.

A handover ceremony will be  held at the Pig Industry Board (PIB) Arcturus station, where the genetics are being quarantined for three weeks. PIB is a government parastatal leading pig genetic improvement, training, and research as well as promotion of production and marketing of pigs in Zimbabwe.

The VALUE project, which is officially closing this November 2023, is part of an EU funded Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP), a response to tackle challenges within the country’s livestock sector through financial support from the EU. ZAGP is contributing to the development of a diversified and efficient agriculture sector that promotes inclusive green economic growth.

“The VALUE Project recognized the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in maintaining healthy and productive pig populations. By introducing genetically superior breeding stock, the project aims to address these challenges head-on, facilitating increased reproduction rates, larger litter sizes, and healthier piglets. This, in turn, will lead to improved productivity, profitability, and sustainability within the pig farming sector,” said Pepukai Muchazondida, the VALUE Project Interim Team Leader.

”Through this initiative, smallholder farmers showed readiness to sustain the impact of the project through joint importation and leading the multiplier role. This will assist in increasing localised access to pigs with enhanced traits, such as improved growth rates, disease resistance, and superior meat quality. These superior genetics hold the potential to revolutionize local pig farming practices and significantly improve farmers' livelihoods,” said Mr Hamadziripi Dongo, the Board Chairperson for East Pork Cooperative Company, a farmer led institution established by the VALUE project to support pork value chain activities under the Mashonaland East? production corridor.

PIB Director, Dr Sharai Ncube, said “The importation of replacement pig genetics is very timely for the institution and small holder farmers at large. It is a game changer for the industry which will enhance access to superior genetics by small and medium scale producers. For PIB, this will go a long way towards achieving our mandate of offering quality breeding services to the farming community in Zimbabwe.”

The handover event will  also serve as a platform  for knowledge exchange and networking among farmers, government departments and project partners. It  also marks the official closure of ZAGP VALUE project which was started in 2019.

The VALUE project is part of the ZAGP and is funded to the tune of €7.3 million to implement activities in the goat and pork value chains in 20 districts. Under the pork value chain, the project is working in 8 districts namely Goromonzi, Marondera, Murehwa and Seke in Mashonaland East and Chegutu, Makonde, Mhondoro-Ngezi and Zvimba in Mashonaland West.

To date, the project has capacitated 0ver 1000 registered pork producers on good agricultural practices, facilitated establishments of producers’ syndicates, trained women and youth under the weaner to finisher project, decentralised multiplication of superior genetics, initiated research on alternative low-cost feed and procured two trucks for collective action in input procurement and marketing.

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