Zimbabwe’s Pig Industry Board Contributes To Achievement Of Livestock Growth Plan

By Wallace Mawire

The Pig Industry Board (PIB) in Zimbabwe is intensifying collaborative efforts to work with the Ministry of Lands,Agriculture,Fisheries,Water and Rural Development towards the achievement of the 2025 Livestock Growth Plan, according to PIB Chief Executive Officer,Dr Sharai Ncube at a handover ceremony of superior pig genetics jointly imported by smallholder farmers and the board with support from the Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP) Value Chain Alliance for Livestock Upgrading and Empowerment  (VALUE)  project.

Dr Ncube made the remarks at the ZAGP VALUE project handover ceremony held at the Pig Industry Board premises in Arcturus,Goromonzi.

The ceremony was conducted to handover superior pig genetics following joint importation by smallholder farmers and the Pig Industry Board under the European Union funded ZAGP VALUE project Pig Value chain development programme.

The ceremony also provided a platform for sharing of highlights in the ZAGP VALUE project impact areas since 2019.The meeting was attended by various stakeholders from the livestock sector including smallholder livestock farmers and government officials.

Dr Ncube said that her organization is looking forward to working with the agriculture ministry towards the 2025 Livestock Growth Plan which stipulates the need to grow the pig commercial herd by 25% from 20 000 to 25 000,to increase pork production by 33% from 16 600 metric tons to 22 000 metric tons and also to improve the average litter size by50% from 8 to 12.

The Pig Industry Board is the Zimbabwe government’s arm with a mandate to develop the pig industry in the country.

“l believe this initiative represents a step towards creation of a vibrant and viable pig industry in support of the national vision of attaining an upper middle income economy by 2030.Pig Industry Board appreciates the contribution that this initiative will make towards the livestock growth plan,”Dr Ncube said.

She also said that among other things the handover of imported superior pig genetics from South Africa represents a key step towards enhancing the quality and productivity of pig breeds in the country and strengthening the agriculture sector.

lt is also expected that the joint efforts by the ZAGP partners,farmers and the PIB will contribute towards growth of the national commercial herd and tonnage of pork produced resulting in the achievement of food security.

Dr Ncube said that it is encouraging that through the animals imported for and on behalf of the Pig Industry Board, the nation will continue to access superior genetics through semen,gilts and boars selected as breeding animals.

‘’We look forward to the positive impact these imported genetics will have through improved breeding performance,increased yields and enhanced competitiveness in the global market,’’Dr Ncube said.

She hailed the fruitful partnership between the community,public and private sector players.

Professor Obert Jiri,Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands,Agriculture,Fisheries,Water and Rural Development  commended the EU and the project implementers  for facilitating the importation of 153 high quality pig breeds from South Africa.

He urged the smallholder farmers who received the superior pig genetics  to take full advantage of the knowledge and resources provided to them  to implement best practices in breeding,animal management and biosecurity measures to ensure the well-being and optimal performance of the genetically superior pigs.

The VALUE project has been funded by the European Union ,CIPS Foundation  and the Liyod’s of London to the tune of Euro 7 340596 running from February 2019 to November 2023.

NGO partners who have been implementing the project include ActionAid Zimbabwe,Mercy Corps and COSV.Private sector partners included Braford Farming,Michview Enterprises and Zvikomborero Farms.

The project targeted 1000 pork producers and 10 000 goat farmers who were operating at suboptimal stages of commercialisation and economic growth.

Through a mix of interventions the project addressed several value chain constraints such as production focusing on improved breeding stock genetics,financial,environmental,technological,organisational,market,regulatory and policy level constraints.

Some of the key achievements in the Pork Value Chain include 397 superior pig genetics being imported,selection of 1841 offsprings of imported genetics that have been sold directly to smallholder farmers.

Also 13 560 semen doses from imported grandparent boars have been sold to at least 500 farms,just to mention a few.

Two syndicates were established for Mashonaland East and West pig producers with 498 young and women farmers getting practical training through the Pig Industry Board.At least 21 farms have been supported to multiply superior pig genetics.

The European Union (EU) funded Value Chain Alliance for Livestock Upgrading and Empowerment (VALUE) on 26 October,2023  officially handed  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 marked 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 handover event will also serve as a platform to for knowledge exchange and networking among farmers, government departments and project partners. It will also mark the official closure of ZAGP VALUE project which was started in 2019.