VICE- President Dr Philip Mpango has directed the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to develop a system to identify herders in the country and the number of livestok they own in order to improve extension services.
He stated that the system should be used by livestock officers from the Ward level, thereby increasing livestock productivity in the country.
Dr Mpango made the remarks on Tuesday when he visited the Mabuki Livestock Multiplication Unit (LMU) and Livestock Training Agency (LITA) in Misungwi District, Mwanza Region.
"It's time to make sure that many herders in the country benefit from employing contemporary technology, which will help them gain access to markets abroad," he said.
The livestock industry, he continued, has potential for the youth and the country as a whole, thus there must be control of encroachment in the LMU which is a critical area utilised to reform the sector in the country.
Also, Dr Mpango urged teachers and learners at agricultural and livestock colleges in the country to put more effort in putting what they learn and teach into practise.
"To boost productivity in the subsector, graduates and trainers in the livestock industry should be in the forefront," said VP Mpango
Besides the fact that Tanzania has a significant quantity of cattle, he continued, much still ought to be done for the country to benefit more. He said Mabuki LMU is a catalyst for change in the livestock industry and will aid in overcoming the problem of low meat export sales.
Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Abdallah Ulega said that the ministry has set a target to make sure that it conducts national campaigns like immunisation for livestock and make effective use of the resources provided to livestock officers, so that they may use them for the intended purposes.
Mr Ulega continued by saying that the ministry has started putting interventions into place that give the livestock sector a new direction to address current issues.
"These interventions include bolstering research, training initiatives, trade and markets for livestock and their products, as well as access to feed and water for livestock," he said.
According to him, a total of 500 heifers have been purchased by the government and handed over to the farm.
The Mabuki LMU is owned by the government through the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. It was established in 1967 for the purpose of producing and distributing quality milk cows to farmers at an affordable price in order to increase their income and reduce poverty in the community.
Meanwhile, ALLY MAYALA from Mwanza reports that Dr Mpango has urged the Lake Zone residents to utilise Mabuki LMU for productive animal husbandry.
The VP made the call yesterday when he made a stop at Hungumalwa Ward of Kwimba District to talk to residents, adding that Mabuki LMU is in place to shower the residents with modern cattle keeping technology.
"Modern animal husbandry technology allows a very minimal number of livestock but most productive. The livestock you have right now do not have the quality the nation needs. Switch into modern dairy farming," he said.
Similarly, he added, LMU is also for production of pastures with all important nutrients for domesticated animals, in efforts to ensure constant animal feeds throughout the year.
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At the LMU, the VP commented that productive livestock should involve the availability of enough extension officers for regular modern livestock keeping.
The VP is in Mwanza for a-two day tour, where apart from LMU visit, he also had some stop overs on his way to Mwanza, insisting on people to plant trees to mitigate effects of climate change.
In another development, Dr Mpango is expected to officiate the Tanzania Judiciary working session for the year 2020/2022 and the review of the Judiciary Action Plan 2020/2021 and 2024/2025 today, reports Nashon Kennedy from Mwanza.
This was said here on Tuesday by the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary of Tanzania, Mr Wilbert Chuma when he was briefing journalists here on the aim of the working session.
"The working session is expected to cover a wide range of topics, including that of the judicial functions," he said.
