Published by the government of Zimbabwe
9 July 2007
Harare — GOVERNMENT is prepared to work with all stakeholders in the development of the agriculture sector so as to restore Zimbabwe's competitive advantage on the international market, a senior Government official has said.
Speaking at the two-day National Dairy Symposium last week, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr David Chapfika, said ministry would leave no stone unturned to remove all impediments to the successful implementation of the National Agriculture Policy, which will see the increase of production in the both the dairy and beef sector.
"Currently, agriculture has numerous challenges, which include but not only limited to low productivity resulting in inadequate supplies to our manufacturing and export sectors, reduced livestock numbers and output across the board and a deficit in our farmer support system.
"In all these, we need partners we can rely upon to address the following critical issues; coming up with a sound national agricultural policy framework within which there will be a National Livestock Policy, revival of milk production, training of new farmers, timely availability of inputs, active corporate involvement and the recapitalisation of the dairy sector.
"Let me point out that the issue of addressing these and more complex challenges in agriculture is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders, including those gathered here today," he said.
He said the ministry was currently working on a policy whose thrust was on massive production of all agricultural commodities in all sectors, dairy farming included. All these need to be massively produced to satisfy both the local and export markets.
Mr Chapfika said the major challenge for Zimbabwe was to ensure a holistic approach to the national livestock herd rebuilding programme through various activities that include mobilising resources for the rehabilitation and growth of the sector to include sub-sectors such as diary, beef, piggery and poultry, rehabilitation and full utilisation of infrastructure on the farms and the provision of farmer enterprise development programmes.
"It is, therefore, an imperative for the nation to embark on a massive livestock herd rebuilding programme with emphasis on beef and dairy. I am happy Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited and Zimbabwe Dairy Trust, plus the sponsors from among processors took this initiative by organising this symposium targeted at working out strategies for reviving the dairy sector," Mr Chapfika said.
He said the symposium was important in that it had brought together key players in the dairy sector to strategise on arresting this decline and come up with options for a sustainable improvement in the dairy sector.
Speaking the same meeting, DZL Group chief executive Mr Anthony Mandiwanza said the country had a potential to earn $65 million from milk exports if it resuscitates in dairy herd that was decimated after year of droughts.
He said economic challenges had not spared the dairy industry that has seen milk production declining from 256 million litres in 1990 to current 90 million.
"Major causes of the decline are the number of producers who went from 514 in 1990 to 278, with dairy herd dropping from 104 000 to less than 33 000 currently. The industry, however, carries tremendous potential for industry growth to satisfy both the domestic and export market," he said.
He said the escalating cost of production continues to play havoc with operations in the dairy sector that had resulted in current capacity utilisation of less than 30 percent.
"Challenges in the milk production sector include shortages of foreign currency, shortage and high cost of fuel, raw and packaging materials, shortage spares and inability of refurbish and replace capital equipment," he said.
The symposium is expected to map the way forward for the resuscitation of the dairy sector in the country.
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