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Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
The First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe has urged farmers to fully utilise the land they were allocated and called for a land audit to weed out idle farmers. She said this in an interview at the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday.
“A lot of land is lying idle as some people are not doing what they should be doing. People are not doing what is expected of them. We have some people who still need land. “Government should continue to carry out a land audit to enable genuine farmers to have land and produce to feed the nation,” she said.
Dr Mugabe said President Mugabe spearheaded the land reform and was also showing people how it should be done. “As Alpha Omega we have tried in our own way to make use of the land. As the First Lady and the President, we are utilising land. We have a dairy herd of over 3 000 cows and we are importing heifers to boost the herd.
“Value addition is the way to go. We are also adding value in Mazowe. We are the largest milk producers in the country and we are into processing. We are producing different flavours of yoghurts, sour milk (lacto), long shelf milk and the cream that has been received well on the market,” she said.
Alpha Omega also produces fruit juices, milk juices and ice creams. “Recently we have introduced a sandwich ice cream which has become a hit on the market,” she said. Besides Alpha Omega Dairy, the First Family also runs the Gushungo Dairy Farm with a capacity to produce 80 000 litres of milk per day.
On average, a cow produces 20 to 22 litres of milk daily. The company was ISO certified and was guaranteed of producing standard products under hygienic conditions. Gushungo Dairy Farm also produces maize, soyabeans, sugarbeans and citrus. Maize and soyabeans are used to manufacture feeds for the dairy cows.
Online Reporter