Govt to import high milk yielding heifer breeds

THE Government will next month import high milk yielding heifer breeds from South Africa under its Dairy Revitalisation Programme as it moves to increase the country’s dairy herd and milk production.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda who is responsible for livestock production said the first batch of the 700 animals was expected in the country before the end of next month.

The Dairy Revitalisation Programme is spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Dairy Industry Trust (ZDIT), an organisation comprising dairy farmers, milk processors and the Government agricultural departments. The organisation realises its funds through levies paid by players in the dairy industry as well as a specific levy obtained from companies importing Ultra-High-Temperature milk.

The dairy resuscitation fund monies will not only be used to import heifers but also sexed semen to improve breeds and reproduction. Despite the increase in milk production from 37 million litres in 2009 to just about 50 million litres over the past two years, the country is still far from achieving its yearly requirement of 120 million litres. The country has set a target of producing 200 million litres of milk by 2020.

Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa said in the 2016 National Budget the Government will this year support initiatives to improve on the breeds and herd size of heifers with an objective of increasing the dairy herd from the current levels of 28 000.

“We are expecting the first batch of heifers before the end of July and on the ground this will play a part in increasing our milk output and on the genetic side this will enable us to breed better yielding animals not that the breed we’ve isn’t good but it’s a matter of injecting animals with new bloodline,” Deputy Minister Zhanda said.

Two years ago, dairy farmers appealed to the Government to ban foreign dairy products from flooding the local market and start supporting the local sector to boost production. Zimbabwe imports 60 percent of its milk and milk products from neighbouring South Africa.

“Depending on us meeting all the efficiencies we would meet our demand and be self-sufficient as a country in terms of raw and powdered milk and even have excess because our objective is to curb imports,” Deputy Minister Zhanda said.

In 2014, Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers signed a three-year partnership with We Effect (formerly Swedish Co-operative Centre) to enable local dairy farmers to continue improving their capacity to provide services to their members.