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Tinashe Makichi Harare Bureau
Kwekwe-based dairy concern, Dendairy plans to table a proposal before the government seeking approval for its heifer project. The project is expected to boost the company’s productivity.  The dairy company is lobbying for offshore funding to the tune of $6 million over the next five years.

Dendairy however is also looking at securing the required funds from banks and non-governmental organisations. In an interview with our Harare Bureau yesterday Dendairy director Daryl Alexander said the initiative will go a long way in improving the production of raw milk in the country.

“We are going to meet government in the coming weeks seeking the green light to start the project and we would like support as well in logistics surrounding the transportation of the animals into the country.

“Dendairy is lobbying for offshore funding for a heifer project that would need $6 million over five years and the project will target a total of 3,000 heifers on rotating lease hire scheme,” said Alexander.

The project is set to boost the company’s production capacity and revenue as this move will go a long way in countering the growing influx of imported dairy products from South Africa.

“Our biggest challenge has been the fact that local dairy companies are failing to meet the targeted national milk production paving the way for imports to come into the market,” he said.

Dendairy is set to make an additional $120,000 per month in revenue once the project is operational.
Similar heifer schemes have been undertaken in South Africa successfully and the dairy company hopes to achieve similar results in Zimbabwe.
Dendairy is expected to launch 15 different products next year following its investment in a $6 million Tetrapak plant.

The products will include fruit juices and dairy blends and the company is moving into juices to meet target volumes of a million litres a month which is set to be achieved next year.

Dendairy also secured a $2 million facility from Tetrapak South Africa to acquire two additional Tetrapak lines that will cater for the informal sector with one of them doing 100ml sachets while the other catering for 200ml sachets.

Installation of the additional two lines at the plant is already under way. The dairy company is also planning to export into the region after receiving necessary regulatory approvals sometime last year.Dendairy received enormous interest from Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi and is considering exporting to those markets.