Muchinga Dairy in K3m boost

By MAILESI BANDA

THE Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) has given out over K3 million to Muchinga Dairy limited for a milk processing project, public relations and communications manager Mercy Mwila has announced.

Ms. Mwila said the funds have been given out for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment to establish a milk processing plant to produce pasteurised milk, cheese, yoghurt, chocolate, icecream and other milk products.

She explained that Muchinga Dairy Limited, is a local company based in Mpika district that has been supported with a K2, 057, 429.00 loan from CEEC and will receive milk from 54 small scale farmers that are being supported by the Commission with two dairy animals each at a total cost of ZMK 1, 952, 000 as well as from other farmers in Muchinga province.

According to a press statement made available to the Daily Nation, Ms Mwila said the dairy value chain in the province has a budget allocation of K1, 932, 000 to finance dairy projects totalling to K 3,989,429.

“CEEC will spend K 3,989,429 on a dairy project in Muchinga Province that will see the company process milk into cheese, yoghurt, chocolate, ice-cream and other milk products,” she said

She further said from the 54 farmers being supported under the dairy value chain in Muchinga, 12 are women, 36 are men and 6 are youths adding that 34 of the farmers have since created 62 jobs in Mpika district.

She said after the funding, Muchinga Dairy Limited will create a total of 27 employees bringing the total of jobs to 89.