Traceability Systems Set to Revive Zimbabwe’s Beef Exports

Published 2021년 6월 28일

Traceability systems for livestock are being introduced in Zimbabwe, and this is set to boost the country's trade in global beef markets, which a lack of traceability had hindered. Agtech firms are working closely with local farmers to help with the proper assimilation of these traceability systems into the market. These innovative solutions have brought a sense of renewed hope for livestock farmers while assisting Zimbabwe to enter the lucrative beef export market to support economic recovery.

Tridge interviewed Farai Magwizi, the Country Sales Partner at Dimitra Technology, to gain insight into the traceability systems and their impact on the Zimbabwe market. Dimitra Incorporated is an international organization that has been delivering AgTech to smallholder farmers in many areas worldwide.

"Our platform combines advanced technologies to deliver insight to governments and farmers. We have implemented these systems in many developing countries, and we have recently begun doing so in Zimbabwe," explains Magwizi.

According to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Agriculture, livestock traceability systems are crucial to gaining access to global markets and improving the national herd's health status. These systems will enable the country to trade on international beef markets and ensure its livestock industry's long-term sustainability and profitability. The lack of traceability systems in the country has hindered Zimbabwe from exporting beef to lucrative markets in the Middle East and Europe, reducing revenue from beef exports, which are critical to the country's economy.

Benefits to the sector

Traceability is set to help revive the country's agriculture sector following an outbreak of the tick-borne disease in 2018 that wiped out 50K of the national herd. Traceability systems will lead to end-to-end visibility in the cattle supply chain and allow buyers a way to efficiently manage their operations and guarantee product quality for their customers. For example, the animal's tag will record the event onto the traceability system whenever cattle are dipped or vaccinated. Traceability allows farmers to collateralize their herds and obtain financing from commercial banks.

Dimitra Technology is one of the organizations involved in introducing traceability systems in Zimbabwe. Magwizi explains that the reception from farmers has been highly favorable due to the number of benefits the systems can provide.

"The reception is tremendous because the benefits are great. Our partners have enabled our systems to provide blockchain-based national and export health certificates and supply chain automation within our platform for local farmers and governments. In addition, our Agro Input Traceability system has been extremely beneficial to the industry. The automated report generation provides farmers with satellite imagery, sensor data, regional and national insights, as well as automated analysis and recommendation to improve outputs and reduce costs," added.