LISTED milk processing giant, Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited (DZL) has seen raw milk intake increasing by 44% to surpass national average stats by a significant margin.

Presenting a trading update for the period ended September 30 2024, DZL company secretary Maurice Karimupfumbi said the period was marked by significant growth in the commodity's uptake.

"The Group's raw milk intake experienced substantial growth, reaching a volume of 11,8 million litres in the quarter under review. This represents a 44% increase from the 8,2 million litres recorded in the previous year's corresponding period.

"The growth rate exceeds the national milk intake increase of 16,7% among processors during the same period, with DZL accounting for 36,7% of the national milk production," she said.

During the period, overall sales volumes experienced a 29% growth, anchored by Milks and Foods product categories. Liquid milk volume recorded a 32% year-on-year growth during the quarter. Concurrently, the Foods category demonstrated a significant 81% increase, while beverages recorded a 22% growth compared to the previous year.

Cumulative sales for the nine months exhibited an 11% increase compared to the corresponding period last year with beverages accounting for 60% of the total volume followed by liquid milk at 31% and Foods at 9%.

Revenue for the quarter exceeded the corresponding period of the previous year by 37%.

"The percentage of total volume sold in the US decreased from 93% to 74% in the quarter compared to the same period last year. However, for the cumulative nine-month period, volume sold in US$ increased from 74% to 81%.Exports constituted 5% of the total Q3 sales volumes, compared to 11% in the prior period," Karimupfumbi said.

Going into the future, DZL plans to continue with its growth agenda focusing on the enhancement of processing capabilities through capital investment initiatives aimed at growing market penetration and sales volumes, a deliberate focus on export growth, cost management and staff development.