Mozambique and Zimbabwe unite to fight pests, disease in agriculture and livestock

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Mozambique and Zimbabwe unite to fight pests, disease in agriculture and livestock

9:37 CAT | 30 Jul 2019

in file CoM

The governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have signed a cooperation agreement to combat disease in agriculture and livestock and coordinate the movement of animals between the two countries, writes the daily Noticias.

The agreement strengthens coordination mechanisms in the control of diseases and pests in cattle and crops, as well as the movement of animals across the long common border.

Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Higino de Marrule, and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Minister of Land, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Resettlement, Perrance Shiri, undertook to share information and set up joint monitoring and discussion committees.

The agreement was formalised last Wednesday in Maputo, on the first of two days of the Zimbabwean minister’s visit to the country.

Higino de Marrule, noted that the understanding foresees that the two countries, which share an extensive border, would establish joint pest monitoring committees to exchange information on outbreaks as a way to prevent and combat diseases attacking animals and food crops.

The fight against cattle theft was also highlighted. Stolen cattle are often moved across the border for sale, and the need for a cattle marking system to facilitate the identification of animals was agreed.

Minister Marrule told reporters after the signing that cattle marking could decrease the number of clashes between cattle breeders in the border area.

He added that the parties would also work to formalise the seed circulation chain, in line with Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommendations.

Mozambique hopes to learn from Zimbabwe’s experience in seed conservation and the conservation of surpluses, which, due to management failures, often end up deteriorating, to farmers’ frustration.

Perrance Shiri said that each party had much to learn from the other, and that his team would focus on institutional capacity building, alongside the eradication of plant and animal diseases and pests along the common border.

He also wished to foster private sector trade in products the two countries specialised in, and congratulated the Mozambican counterpart, stressing that it was important to work together in the face of climate change, with Cyclone Idai the most recent and catastrophic example.

Source: Lusa