livestock is for food security in Africa

The ministry of agriculture and livestock says livestock is one of the drivers of wealth creation and a means of improving the food security in Africa.
  Minister of the agriculture and livestock Emmanuel Chenda said in Livingstone at Chrismar hotel,  during the common market for eastern and southern Africa (COMESA) regional stakeholders workshop on theme “livestock and related policies, animals health strategies and veterinary legislation.”
 In a speech read on his behalf by deputy minister of agriculture and livestock Benson Kapaya, he said that the sector is an important contributor to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs).
“The wide occurrence of disease of economic importance including emerging and re-emerging diseases mainly related to the existing climate change and weak institutions poses huge challenges on the efforts being made to improve production and productivity of the livestock agriculture,” he said.
“Emerging and re-emerging epizootics diseases such highly pathogenic avian diseases, H1N1, foot and mouth diseases and vector borne disease are posing huge challenge,” he added.
 He said the ability of the livestock sector to attain its full productive potential is often constrained by the availability and quality of livestock services as the services play a vital role in sustaining the productivity and profitability of the livestock enterprises.
 “Our preparedness to cope up with the present and foreseeable challenges is not to the level what it should be for instance some of our policies especially with regard to development of animal agriculture and diseases prevention and control are either obsolete or inappropriate,” he
Mr Chenada said that the prevailing institutional environment in most African countries is not conducive to the provision of affordable accessible and sustainable quality veterinary services adding that this is mainly as a result of the prevailing poor livestock agricultural policy environment and the consequent inadequate investment in the sector which has led to inadequate capacities for the enforcement of strategies and regulations.
 He said that     The minister said there are significant gaps in policy and institutional competence and in the implementation of the policies and enforcement of regulations. In addition animal health information flow laboratory support and consistent field working procedure are not to at the level it should be and are weak to put in place competent animal health services.
“We need to work in collaboration with regional and international organizations and development partners to improve the level of animal health services in Zambia,” he said
COMESA, secretary general, Sindiso Ngwenya said there is more that needs to be done especially when it comes to prevention and control of animal health problems and improving production and productivity of animal agriculture.
 In a speech read on his behalf by COMESA Agriculture economist Salim Shamseldin, he said that the region is suffering from animal health problems of wide varieties and coverage with different levels of severity.
 The secretary general said that there is need for vibrant livestock services.
 He said in the region provision of most livestock services still remains government responsibility, the private sector involvement are significant are predominantly restricted to commercialized protection production.
 “The sector is more dynamic resilient creative innovative and vibrant than the public ones,” he said.
Professor Ahmed El-Sawalhy, Director Africa Union Inter Africa Bureau for animal resources said that there is need to promote the formulation and implementation of sound livestock polices for economic growth, food security enhanced livelihood environmental protection and stakeholders’ resilience.
Ends

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