MOZAMBIQUE – Mozambican government has started an initiative seeking to improve the quantity and quality of meat with a US$9.4 million investment program for improving the country’s bull genetics and creating conditions for increased production of quality meat.
Agriculture Minister Celso Correla stated that the initiative is financed by the Programme for the Inclusive Development of the Food Value Chain (PROCAVA), an initiative of the government and its partners aiming to boost food production.
“About 2,000 cattle will be distributed to family farmers to improve the quality of their livestock, as well as to improve the quantity and quality of meat supplied to the population,” he added.
Correia indicated that the delivery of the bulls will increase production levels, transform production methods, and improve the quality of life of the farmers.
Regarding the animal vaccination campaign, he noted that everything is being done to ensure cattle immunization is achieved throughout the country to guarantee public health safety.
Correia assured that the initiative would be extended to more Mozambican population in the coming years, calling for a better organization and commitment to production.
“In previous years, it was difficult to reach 80% coverage of the bovine population, but in the last three years, the country has surpassed the goal as more vaccines were produced in the research laboratories, making the country a reference in the livestock sector.”
He, however, warned that the challenges are huge and there is a long way to go, especially in the areas of access to resilient technologies and prevention of animal diseases.
According to the Global Animal Genetics Market Report, the rising awareness of veterinary genetic illnesses and an increase in livestock animal population to address unmet demand for animal-derived proteins are fueling the market.
The report adds that owing to the factors affecting the animal genetic market is poised to grow at a healthy compound annual growth rate of 6.2% from 2022 to 2032 forecasted years.
“Livestock is an important source of food, and hence societies across the globe must work together to meet the ever-increasing demand through reproductive technologies if we hope to attain global food security,” FAO noted.
At the beginning of the year, an international team of researchers, led by Africans, fully sequenced the genome of a climate-resilient bean that could bolster food security in drought-prone regions.
The sequencing of the hyacinth bean or ‘lablab bean’ paved the way for wider cultivation of the crop, bringing nutritional and economic benefits, as well as much-needed diversity to the global food system.
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