Zimbabwe’s raw milk production increased by 18% to 85.05 million litres in the first nine months of 2024, compared to 71.91 million litres in the same period last year, despite drought effects.
The improvement is largely due to the partnership between the Zimbabwean Government and the EU-funded Transforming the Zimbabwe Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project.
TranZDVC has supported small-scale dairy farmers by providing resources such as calves and lucerne grass seeds, enhancing production efficiency and sustainability in the dairy sector.
Lucerne, also known as alfalfa, has been crucial, offering a high-protein forage crop with a protein concentration of 18-22% of dry matter, compared to maize silage (8%) and good-quality grass silage (14%).
The introduction of lucerne has improved the nutritional quality of dairy feed and reduced production costs.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development reported that the cost of milk has decreased to about 50 cents per litre, down from up to 70 cents per litre previously.
Lucerne’s well-established root system makes it especially resilient to drought, offering a dependable pasture option even in dry periods.
This trait has proven invaluable during the current El Niño conditions, which have led to difficulties for other fodder crops, particularly cereals.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s dairy sector has established a milk production target of 113 million litres for 2024, with plans to raise this goal to 150 million litres by 2025.
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Zimbabwe has produced more milk this year, despite drought. The government and a project called TranZDVC helped small farmers with resources and seeds. A special crop called lucerne helped improve milk quality and lower costs. The milk price has decreased, making it more affordable. Lucerne is good for dry times because it can still provide food for cows. The dairy sector aims to produce even more milk in the future.

Zimbabwe's Raw Milk Production Sees 18% Surge Despite Drought

Zimbabwe’s raw milk production reached 15.09 million litres in the first two months of this year, which is a 7% increase compared to the same period last year.
This growth is attributed to a combination of factors such as the importation of heifers and local breeding through artificial insemination techniques, with a focus on using sexed semen from dairy bulls, <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/raw-milk-pr-oduction-increases-7pc/">The Herald</a> reported.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development reported that in February 2023:
<blockquote>
i). raw milk intake by processors increased by 10% to 13.88 million litres, 
ii). retailed milk by producers decreased by 17% to 1.21 million litres compared to the same period in 2022. 
iii). raw milk output in February 2023 was 6.95 million litres, representing a 3.42% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
iv). that’s a decrease of 15% if compared to January 2023.
</blockquote>
Recent milk production trend:
<blockquote>
1). In 2022, Zimbabwe produced 91.31 million litres of raw milk.
2). In 2021, Zimbabwe produced 79.6 million litres. 
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s raw milk production has reached 76% of the annual requirement, indicating progress towards sustainable raw milk production. The government has provided financing and other support to promote the growth of the dairy industry, according to Addmore Waniwa, an officer with the dairy services department.
Incentives to promote dairy include presidential and command silage schemes as well as subsidised semen through Transforming Zimbabwe’s Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project.
The dairy industry in Zimbabwe is facing various challenges such as high production and processing expenses, lack of secure land tenure that banks can accept as collateral for loans, limited access to affordable finance and foreign currency, and high compliance costs.
Despite the increase in milk production, the country is failing to meet its monthly raw milk requirement which stands at about 10 million litres. The deficit is covered by imports.
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