Zimbabwe’s dairy production has increased by 18 per cent in the first six months of 2022 compared to the first half of last year, according to The Herald.
Speaking during the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers 8th annual general meeting on Wednesday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said dairy farmers have produced 43.35 million litres.
He added that the figures meant farmers were on course to achieving the targeted 93 million litres. He said:
The figures that we saw today are very pleasing, with 18 percent growth in milk production in the first six months of this year, which means that we are on course to achieving 93 million litres this year compared to 79 million litres achieved last year.
Minister Masuka said the country’s milk demand was estimated at 120 million litres a year, a target that he said can be met by 2024-2025.
There are studies which suggest that the current demand for milk in Zimbabwe stands at 130 million litres.
He encouraged farmers to come up with new ideas and to produce their own dairy feeds to cut costs and reduce the milk prices on the markets.
Farmers who attended the event said they faced challenges such as low rainfall which affects the production of their own feeds.
The Zimbabwean dairy industry has been massively underperforming, as evidenced by a reduction in milk yield from 262 million litres in 1990 to less than 37 million litres in 2009 and a steady but slow increase to 82 million litres in 2021.
There is a national capacity for processing 400 million litres per annum.