Wimbainashe Zhakata Manicaland Correspondent

Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba has hailed dairy farmers here for their resilience during Cyclone Idai despite low milk production in the province.

She was speaking during the 6th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers that was held in Nyanga recently.

According to statistics from the Dairy Services Unit (DSU), Manicaland Province’s milk production declined by 10 percent between January and May this year compared to last year, mainly due to high production costs.

In a speech read on her behalf by Agritex head for Manicaland Mrs Phillipa Rwambiwa, Dr Gwaradzimba said the Cyclone Idai disaster contributed significantly to low milk production since the affected areas produced most of the milk in the province.

“Manicaland produces two million litres of milk per month which is about 30 percent of the national milk production, and the province has a potential to improve or even double the figure,” she said.

“A number of people’s livestock were not spared during the disaster. We applaud Manicaland dairy farmers for their resilience and for working together to sustain the dairy enterprise during that period.”

Speaking at the same event, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri said the performance of the dairy sector was encouraging.

“I am encouraged by the results of the recent milk mapping exercise carried out in May and June 2019, which show that Zimbabwe is currently producing 6,7 million litres of milk per month translating to over 80 million litre a year,” he said.

Minister Shiri said he was happy that more small to medium scale dairy farmers were coming on board to boost milk supply.

“I am also pleased to note the number and contribution of small to medium scale dairy farmers to milk production has significantly increased as shown by the preliminary milk survey results,” he said.