Source: Boost for Umzingwane dairy project | The Herald

Bulawayo Bureau
UMZINGWANE Dairy Co-operative has received 15 000 British pounds which is part of the Matching Grants Facility (MGF) aimed at improving its dairy herd and milk production densities under the Transforming Zimbabwe’s Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project.

The TranZDVC project, a national dairy project under the Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP), is expected to augment milk production to meet the targeted 130 million litres up from 76 million produced in 2020.

It is a four-year initiative funded by the EU, being championed by We Effect in partnership with the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF), Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) and Zimbabwe Dairy Industry Trust (ZDIT).

In an interview, Umzingwane Dairy Co-operative Society Limited chairperson Mrs Sheillah Lupuwana said they will use the grant to capacitate and mechanise the dairy co-operative.

“We Effect has given us a 70 percent grant of 15 000 British Pounds which is approximately US$17 000 and the 30 percent grant will be paid by members of the co-operative.

“It will enable us to put solar panels and Zesa power cuts will actually be a thing of the past now. We will also drill a borehole so that we move away from council water and huge bills that were hindering our progression,” said Mrs Lupuwana.

She said the funds will facilitate for transport such as refrigerated trucks for collecting milk from the milking points to the milk centre, as the co-operative forges ahead to ensure the viability of its enterprise.

Mrs Lupuwana said individual farmers also received grants which most of them have used to sink boreholes to solve the water challenge that was affecting them to maintain clean milking points.

The project’s efforts to boost milk production are bearing fruit.

“Among other benefits, access to finance for investments in dairy production through the Matching Grants Facility (MGF) has led to capacity building on various aspects of dairy production.

“Together with increased milk yield from providing better feeds at a lower cost, these are not only helping the participating farmers increase their incomes from dairy but also allowing them to expand into other areas of climate-smart agriculture,” she added.

She said dairy farmers have been capacitated with knowledge and skills in areas such as clean milk production, fodder production and preservation, animal nutrition, climate smart dairy farming and good animal husbandry practices.