Recent changes in markets and market relationships and lessons for the design of effective support programmes - Institutional Constraints to Small Farmer Development in Southern Africa - page 271

the requirement that all meat be marketed through the CSC (Mavedzenge et al. , 2008).
Beef price controls resulted in beef shortages on the formal market, while informal market
prospered at premium prices (Mavedzenge et al. , 2008)
Sibanda and Khombe (2006) also noted that veterinary control systems were weakened
because the country lacked capacity to import vaccines, while uncontrolled movement of
animals which was allowed when new farmers took up their farms also compromised animal
disease control. Between 2001 and 2002, a total of 26 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease
were reported, mostly resulting from cattle coming into contact with wildlife (Sibanda and
Khombe, 2006). A decrease in volume of beef from the quasi government 'Cold Storage
Company' shows effects of government policies on overall performance of the agricultural
sector.
11.5 The role of local authorities in livestock markets
Local government authorities have since emerged as the major coordinators of the cattle
markets in Mwenezi District of Zimbabwe. It is apparent that the participation of council
authorities in commodity marketing has sustained the operations of the council as a revenue
base through taxes. As such the local district council plays major roles such as:
• Scheduling cattle market dates by producing annual calendar and circulating it to
farmers and potential buyers.
• Contacting potential market participants such as private companies, abattoirs and
individual cattle buyers.
• Contacting cattle market stakeholders such as the veterinary department and the
Zimbabwe Republic Police Anti Stock Theft unit to attend the auctions for clearance
of all stock sales in the district.
• Alerting all stakeholders before auction dates, in case auctions are cancelled by the
veterinary department due to notifiable disease outbreak in the area or surrounding
regions.
• Registration of all buyers who intend to do business in the district.
• Regulating the buying and selling of cattle in the district.
Mwenezi Rural District council is responsible for organizing both public and private cattle
sales. However, for private sales to take place the private players need to notify relevant ward
councillors through village headmen, who will in turn notify the council, veterinary and
ZRP anti stock theft unit. This should be done two weeks before the private auction takes
place. This arrangement is done to curb cattle theft in the District. Table 11.5 summarises
the various stakeholders that are active in cattle marketing.
Cattle trading in Zimbabwe is regarded as a lucrative venture by both private and public
traders, hence an increase in the number of stakeholders to monitor the process (Table11.5).