The Sunday Mail
Richard Muponde
Senior Reporter
ABOUT five million households in different parts of the country are expected to benefit from the Presidential Rural Poultry and Goat Pass-On scheme that will see the Government dishing out goats and chicks to empower rural families.
Beneficiaries will receive the goats and poultry for free, but will be expected to pass-on to the next recipients when the breeds give birth.
Initially, the poultry programme will target households in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Midlands provinces where 1,8 million households are expected to benefit from this year to 2025.
The Goat Pass-On scheme is expected to uplift the rural folk in all the country’s eight rural provinces with three million households expected to benefit from this year until 2025.
Under the poultry scheme, the Government has deliberately targeted the four southern provinces to mitigate against the impact of climate change, because parts of these areas traditionally
receive low rains.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr John Basera, said the two schemes are funded by President Mnangagwa.
“I think you have noticed that this is a Presidential Scheme funded by His Excellency President Mnangagwa. It’s a subsidised scheme. We have deliberately started with the southern part of the country because these are provinces which receive little rain. Livestock thrives in these provinces. However, we are not leaving Mashonaland provinces outside, they will also be catered for as we go,” Dr Basera said.
He said the Goat Pass-On scheme will be equitably distributed to all the eight rural provinces of the country where households will get a doe each.
“The scheme will initially distribute 600 000 does and 400 000 bucks to the first 600 000 households in all the eight rural provinces in 2021. Households will be organised into groups of 10, each group receives two bucks and each household receives one doe this year. The scheme will target 600 000 households each year in the rural provinces, equitably distributed.”
Dr Basera said the poultry scheme will be done in phases with 225 000 households expected to benefit this year.
“Each household will receive 10 rural chicks which are about four to six weeks old, 10kg of mash and one sachet of vitamin stress pack. These are targeted for Matabeleland North and South, Masvingo and Midlands in Phase 1. Phase 2 will also target another 225 000 households in 2022 and thereafter pass-on.
“This will lead to increased production of meat and eggs. It will also improve the household food security and nutrition and increase rural per capita incomes.”
