DAIRY FARMERS IN $2M SWEDISH WINDFALL

By BUSINESS REPORTER THE Swedish government has given the Dairy Association of Zambia (DAZ) a US $2 million grant for the implementation of a digital Information management system (DIMS).

Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency, head of development cooperation, Karin Sverken said technology was developing at an unprecedented pace, hence the need for dynamism.

He observed that fast pace at which technology was developing, had affected each country and most communities in the world to different extents.

She was speaking during the handover of the grant in Lusaka.

Ms Sverken expressed confidence that the DIMS pilot project would pave the way for more innovations to improve production within the dairy sub-sector. We believe that the DIMS pilot project fits well with the Swedish Embassy¶s programme portfolio for employment and business creation as well as the wishes of the wider dairy value chain stakeholders including the Zambian government, she said.

And DAZ chairperson, Miriam Mbazima said with the DIMS, dairy farmers would develop a digital small holder dairy farmer aggregation transaction and information management platform.

She said this would enhance commercialisation of the dairy value chain.

Ms Mbazima noted that with the DIMS small holder farmers would improve production and financial inclusion.

"This project will help improve the operations of the dairy value chain by supporting small scale farmers¶ access to goods and services managed by an efficient and effective system. This will in turn lead to increased dairy production,” she said.Ms Mbazima said the project would create over jobs and benefit ,5 3 small scale dairy farmers in the 3 cooperatives. She said the total membership for the organisation stands at , and that five per cent represented the large and emergent scale farmers.

It is however worth noting that despite sector growth there are still several challenges that hamper the significant growth of small scale farmers.

Key among these challenges are low productivity, scarcity of extension services, poor animal husbandry and limited access to improved breeds and finance to expand, she said.

She however said the dairy sector was still a viable value chain capable of providing an effective pathway for the commercialisation of small holder dairy farmers.