Milk output hits 40 mln litres in 4 months

By ETimes

HARARE – MILK production in Zimbabwe increased by 7% to 40.26 million litres in the first four months of 2026, compared to 37.65 million litres in the same period last year, according to data from the Dairy Services Department in the Ministry of Agriculture.

While dairy farmers produced 10.11 million litres in April 2026, January 2026 still holds the record for the highest monthly milk production to date, at 10.6 million litres.

For the first four months, milk processors also raised their intake by 7%, reaching 37.14 million litres compared to 34.64 million litres in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, retail milk production was up 3% to 3.11 million litres.

In the dairy sector, the government has already taken steps to address regulatory issues that were prohibitive to the ease of doing business.

Some of these regulatory issues have been removed and efforts are ongoing to operationalize the remaining ones, with the goal of lowering production costs for dairy farmers.

Experts say Zimbabwe’s dairy sector remains “uncompetitive” compared to regional peers like South Africa and Kenya due to a high-cost production environment.

Feed costs alone account for about 70% of total production costs.

Additionally, high input costs for fertilizers, energy and other inputs put Zimbabwe at a disadvantage across Africa, calling for serious action to lower production costs.