July 8, 2011

Zimbabwe dairy project facing viability challenges

The Nharira-Lancashire Dairy Project in Zimbabwe is facing viability challenges due to a serious shortage of pure dairy breeds and high prices of packaging material.

Norbert Gwese, the supervisor of the centre in Chikomba District, Mashonaland East, recently said the majority of the 85 farmers involved in the project no longer had pure breeds for the project, which was compromising the milk output.
 

"Pure breeds died during the droughts that hit the country in recent years, leaving the farmers turning to crosses from beef stocks for milk to sustain the project," said Gwese.

The project also buys packaging material from Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, which sells the material at a minimum of 30,000 sachets for US$950, according to Gwese.

Gwese explained that dairy breeding stock cost US$1,200-1,500 for a single animal, an amount that farmers could not afford.

Gwese said farmers were getting assistance from a non-governmental organisation, the Swedish Co-operative Centre (SCC), to shift to zero grazing, in which they would make their own feeds and restrict cattle to feeding pens.

SCC launched the Farmers Fighting Poverty (FFP) programme in Chikomba in 2010, working with Agritex, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, Livestock Development Programme, and the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment.

SCC established a district management team to assess the situation of the farmers and their project, and facilitated the training of farmers to prepare their own feed mixes, fodder, and hay.

"To date, 71 have benefited from an artificial insemination programme that came as part of the capacity building drive," said SCC country programme co-ordinator Jonathan Kagoro. "Our intention is to empower the farmers to produce effectively and be able to meet their socio-economic concerns from the dairy proceeds."

SCC has also helped the dairy centre with a loan of US$18,800.

Nharira Dairy was established in 1986 and was officially opened by the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo in 1990.