Andrew
Tendai Chara
IN a development that will go a long way in increasing the national milk output, dairy farmers from the country’s 10 provinces will on Friday receive 147 in-calf heifers.
The heifers will be distributed under the European Union (EU)-funded Transforming Zimbabwe’s Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project.
A total of 121 dairy farmers are set to benefit, with the heifer handover ceremony being held at Zengea Farm, Marirangwe, in Seke District, Mashonaland East Province.
We-Effect Zimbabwe, along with its co-implementing partners Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF), Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) and Zimbabwe Dairy Industry Trust (ZDIT) imported the in-calf heifers from South Africa.
According to the project coordinators, the in-calf heifers landed in Zimbabwe at a cost of US$1 358 per animal.
TranZDVC project coordinator Dr Edson Chifamba said the aim of the project is to, among other things, address the underperformance of the dairy value chain in the country.
“Started in 2019, TranZDVC is a four-year initiative targeting 4 000 small to medium-scale dairy farmers and larger anchor dairy farms, and aims to address the root causes of the underperformance of the dairy value chain in Zimbabwe,” Dr Chifamba said.
Online Reporter