Livestock production
plays a vital role in the socio-economic life of the rural population
at a number of levels. Animals and animal products contribute
directly to food security by providing households with a source
of protein in the form of meat, milk and eggs. They can be sold
when necessary to raise cash for the purchase of food staples
or to meet other urgent household needs. Livestock can also be
harnessed to provide traction power. These points illustrate the
very direct influence that levels of animal stocks can exert on
the working and living conditions of the population.
Chickens are kept by around 70%
of rural households but this apparently high figure represents
an average of only seven birds per household or around 1.5 birds
per capita. Over 20% of households, that is around 650,000 households,
also raise ducks; it is estimated that the total duck population
is currently around four million. These figures highlight the
potential of poultry to improve the livelihoods of rural families.
In spite of this, vaccination levels are very low (2%) with the
result that the chicken population is seriously reduced every
year by Newcastle Disease; this leaves the poultry sector operating
far below its economic potential.
Over 25% of rural holdings keep
small ruminants (mostly goats). Distribution of these stocks throughout
the country is relatively even although Tete Province accounts
for 25 percent of the total goat population, which is estimated
at four million.
Pigs are kept by almost 20% of
rural holdings. The total number of pigs is over two million but
they are also subject to disease with African Swine Fever being
the most prevalent and destructive.
There are about 720,000 head of
cattle in Mozambique and kept by approximately 4% of rural holdings.
Of the total herd, over one third is kept on medium- and large-scale
holdings. Due to the prevalence of Trypanosomiasis, cattle are
mostly found in the southern provinces and the dry, interior areas
of the central provinces . The increase in tsetse fly infestation
in some regions suggests that the fly is developing a resistance
to the pesticides that are currently in use; this situation is
most alarming in Zambezia Province.
Very few horses and donkeys are
kept in Mozambique and what animal traction exists is usually
provided by oxen. Just 11% of holdings use animal traction and
the regional distribution is very uneven. While in the southern
and central provinces animal traction is used by between 20% and
50% of holdings, it is hardly ever used in the northern provinces
of Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Zambezia.
The overwhelming majority of livestock
in Mozambique consists of indigenous breeds that are well-adapted
to the specific agro-climatic conditions. The introduction of
exotic breeds is limited and more likely to occur in medium and
large holdings in urban areas (for example semi-industrial broiler
and egg production units). Where exotic and improved breeds are
introduced, they usually have come from other countries in the
region, mainly South Africa. An inventory of animal genetic resources
in Mozambique was completed in 2004.
Production of animal feed is limited.
While cereal production is concentrated in the northern and central
provinces, the highest concentration of livestock is in the southern
provinces, which produce a negative cereal balance. Fishmeal,
a commonly used component in animal feed, is not produced locally
on an industrial scale. As a result, production of concentrate
animal feed in Mozambique has to rely on imported raw materials,
and local production is not economically sustainable.
Disease has an enormous impact
on the stocks and productivity of animals; diseases such as Trypanosomiasis,
Newcastle Disease, African swine fever and tick-borne diseases
pose a major cause for concern to the livestock and veterinary
services. Close proximity to the Kruger National Park and other
protected areas that have a relatively high concentration of wildlife
also results in the latent presence of Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD); there have been recent outbreaks in the neighboring countries
of Swaziland and South Africa.
Finally, it has to be mentioned
that floods and heavy rains can also contribute to the loss of
livestock and the outbreak and subsequent spread of epidemics.
Current support interventions
• Support to the establishment
of an improved Transboundary Animal Disease Information Management
System (TADinfo)
• Support to the control
of Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever
Potential support interventions
Future support interventions could
be considered to:
• Assist in the review
of livestock, animal health and food quality control legislation
in order to harmonize with international standards and agreements;
• Assist in the implementation
of the livestock policy and strategy, and support the institutional
reform within MINAG and at the level of the research, training
and extension services;
• Assist in the preparation
and implementation of an annual Newcastle Disease nationwide awareness
and vaccination programme using community-based animal health
workers trained in farmers' field schools;
• Assist in the testing
and quality control of vaccines and biological products;
• Assist in setting
up and promoting the trans-boundary co-operation in the monitoring
and control of FMD;
• Assist INIVE in carrying
out a review of its diagnostic capacities for animal health;
• Launch a major animal
genetic conservation and improvement programme for the selection
and dissemination of disease-resistant and productive indigenous
strains of cattle, poultry and small ruminants;
• Assist in the promotion
of specific livestock trade opportunities within and beyond Mozambique
including livestock fairs and the improvement and development
of slaughterhouses and meat-processing facilities;
• Launch a national
food quality control programme with the involvement of all the
ministries (agriculture, health, trade) and other institutions
concerned; and
• Integrate animal traction
into the community-based development programmes with special emphasis
on the SPFS (PAN) programme and the South-South co-operation.
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