GOVERNMENT REFURBISHES CENTRE

By Hamoud Said

The Citizen Correspondent

Zanzibar. In order to boost cattle productivity and minimize complaints from livestock farmers in the islands, the Zanzibar government has opted to refurbish its insemination centre, the minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Said Ali Mbarouk, told The Citizen.

He said the ministry used about Sh80 million to refurbish the centre and purchased insemination equipment, including liquid nitrogen, worth Sh600 million ahead of the arrival of two bulls bought from Kenya at about Sh6 million.

“We hope to have a modern insemination centre that will be ready by November this year. Zanzibar has been without insemination equipment since 1995,” the minister said.Mr Mbarouk said having a modern insemination centre was an ‘agricultural revolution’ in the islands aiming to increase food, fish and livestock production.

Artificial insemination (AI) is a process whereby sperm is collected from a bull, processed, stored and artificially infused into the female reproductive tract for the purpose of conception.

SOURCE: http://thecitizen.co.tz