By ETimes
Zimbabwe’s raw milk production in the first 2 months of 2023 increased by 7% to 15.09 million liters from the 14.11 million liters recorded in the same period last year, official data shows.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Agriculture’s dairy services department show that milk intake by processors rose 10% to 13.88 million litres from 12.66 million litres in the same period in 2022.
On the flip side, retailed milk by producers fell 17% to 1.21 million litres from 1.45 million litres in the comparative period.
In the month of February 2023, milk output stood at 6,95 million litres, representing a 3.42% increase from the same period last year. But when compared to January 2023 output, it is down 15%.
The country’s milk production rose 15% to 91.31 million litres in 2022, compared to 79.6 million litres realised in 2021. This was attributed to the importation of heifers through private and public initiatives and local breeding through the use of artificial insemination techniques with an emphasis on the use of sexed semen from dairy bulls.
December milk output rose 9.45% to 8.32 million litres, compared to 7.6 million litres in December 2021. At 8.32 million litres, it ranked as the highest monthly milk output in 2022, followed by October’s milk output of 8.14 million litres.
The country’s monthly milk requirement stands at about 10 million liters. To cover the shortage, milk supplies are being supplemented by imports.
The country’s dairy industry, however, faces a plethora of challenges, which include high production and processing costs, a lack of bankable security of land tenure, limited access to affordable finance and foreign currency, and a high compliance cost – Harare