Milk production in Zimbabwe increased by 7 percent last year as most farmers intensified production while new ones joined the industry.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development chief dairy officer Mrs Tendai Marecha said milk production rose from 47 million litres in 2010 to 50,6 million last year.

“Milk production rose from 47 million litres in 2010 to 50,6 million last year and this is commendable.”
She was addressing the National Association
of Dairy Farmers general meeting held in the
capital.

Milk production plummeted over the past decade to one million litres per month due to high production costs caused by hyperinflation as sanctions weighed down the economy.

Mrs Marecha said the local dairy industry continued to face challenges in its quest to revamp milk production and processing capacity.
“It is imperative that Government, farmers and processors work together in order to arrest the current low milk production volumes and secure milk supply for good nutrition of the Zimbabwean population.

“Milk production and agriculture in general is now on the recovery path.
“This is due to improvement in availability of stock feeds following adoption of multiple foreign currencies. This has seen most farmers buying new
equipment as well as affording restocking,” she
said.

Meanwhile, NADF chairperson Ms Veneka Bwerinofa bemoaned high production costs.
“Zimbabwe still has the highest price of milk and high production cost in the region.

“This has a negative impact on milk output.
“Continued power cuts and high prices of stock feed are also negatively affecting our operations,” she said.

Currently, there are 223 registered dairy operators in the country and an estimated dairy herd of about 26 000 animals.
At its peak Zimbabwe produced over 150 million litres of milk annually, exporting into the region and beyond. — New Ziana.