An Iranian has expressed interest in undertaking a joint venture to breed up to 2,000 ostriches in Zimbabwe, said the country’s small to medium enterprises and cooperative development minister on Tuesday.
“Recently, I was in Iran where I met an investor who’s keen to enter into a partnership to breed ostriches here (Zimbabwe). The investor has indicated that he is prepared to bring in about 2,000 ostriches into the country,” Sithembiso Nyoni was quoted as saying by Chronicle on Tuesday, Tasnim News Agency reported.
It is believed that Zimbabwe is losing about $9 million in potential ostrich exports due to the collapse of the industry over the last decade owing to economic challenges and the outbreak of disease.
“In the past, Zimbabwean farmers used to produce about 30,000 ostriches per year,” she added.
At present, Zimbabwe’s ostrich population has drastically dwindled with a few birds in private wildlife parks.
