The Sunday Mail
Every Tuesday, those that are in the cattle and meat processing business in areas surrounding Harare converge in large numbers at auctioning pens in Mt Hampden on the periphery of the capital city.
The event always presents a wonderful opportunity for buyers to show their financial muscle as they bid for the right to walk away with prize steers, heifers, calves and breeding cows and bulls.
Despite the current liquidity crunch, thousands of dollars exchange hands, with some of the beasts going for as much as US$2 000.
Across the country, similar auctions are held with Matabeleland, the country’s premier cattle-producing area, having the biggest number of live cattle sales.
Stakeholders in the cattle producing and meat sectors have expressed satisfaction at the way the live sales are being conducted, which some said is fair and transparent.
Farmers say they are now getting real value for their beasts.
Mr Wonder Chabikwa, a prominent cattle farmer and president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union, is one of the farmers who is happy with the way the auctions are being held.
“Surely, this is the way to go.
The way the sales are being held reminds me of the good old days when farmers used to get real value for their cattle.
The auctions are being held in a transparent and fair manner,” Mr Chabikwa said.
Officers from the Agriculture Ministry’s Livestock Production Department are present at auctions, helping farmers determine prices of cattle.
Mr Washington Chaitezvi, a cattle farmer from Zvimba who took part at a recent Mt Hampden sale, said: “I remember when the Livestock Development Trust used to conduct cattle sales. The prices were fair.
The Cold Storage Commission would also come and collect the cattle from the farmers, easing their burden in the process. If these measures are retained, then the industry is destined for greater heights.”
The cattle industry is, however, not exempted from challenges.
Middle middlemen and private buyers still roam areas where auctions are not held, fleecing farmers by offering ridiculously low prices to desperate sellers or those unaware of the value of their beasts.
Mr Chaitezvi advocated for an increase in the number of cattle auctioning pens, especially in remote areas.
“My wish is to see an increase in the number of cattle auctioning centres. This will reduce incidences in which farmers are duped by middlemen,” said Mr Chaitezvi.
Mr Chabikwa advised farmers to avoid selling cattle only when they were desperate for cash, saying sales should be planned to avoid being conned.
“There has been an increase in the number of farmers who are being duped. We urge to deal with reputable cattle buyers.
Farmers must avoid selling their cattle when they are desperate for money since this can result in them being fleeced,” Mr Chabikwa said.
The Zimbabwe Farmers Union has in the past warned farmers to be on the lookout for bogus cattle ownership schemes after it emerged that farmers had been swindled of millions of dollars through these scams.
Last year, farmers besieged the offices of the Cattle Ownership Society in Harare demanding their dues.
Contributors to the scheme alleged that the society misappropriated funds and failed to avail cattle as promised.
Under the Cattle Ownership Society scheme, contributors paid anything from US$55 to US$100 over 24 months. The contributors were promised at least 15 cattle each at the end of the two-year period.
However, nothing came of it and those who cancelled their membership of the society were not reimbursed.
One of the challenges cattle farmers face is the levy charged by rural district councils, which get 10,5 percent of the total price of a beast sold.
Farmers say the levy is too high.
According to the Livestock and Meat Advisory Council the high levy is behind the reduction in auctions as farmers hold on to their cattle.
According to Mr Chabikwa, middlemen are exploiting cattle producers by buying cattle at a song.
“The absence of commercial private buyers in most cattle-producing areas has given rise to the exploitation of farmers by middlemen.
As a result of the absence of private commercial buyers, middlemen are exploiting farmers by charging unreasonable prices,” Mr Chabikwa said.
Cattle produced by most small-scale cattle farmers weigh up to 180kg.
This means small-scale producers are selling beef for as low as US$1/kg as they get around US$150 to US$200 per beast. The middlemen then sell the beast for as much as US$800.
Farmers have also expressed dissatisfaction with abattoirs.
Mr Chabikwa said they were unhappy with the fact that apart from the slaughtering fees, abattoirs also demanded the offals, hides and heads as part of the service costs.
“Abattoirs must just name their prices.
In the past, the CSC used to take the offals, hides and heads as payment for transporting the cattle from the farmers.
Abattoirs are getting the same despite the fact that they do not collect the cattle from farms.
They are ripping us off,” fumed Mr Chabikwa.
Zimbabwe has a national herd of about five million cattle and the majority of the beasts are owned by small-scale producers.
