adminLuthando Mapepa
RUSITU Dairy United Co-operative in Chipinge recently imported 50 Jersey heifers from South Africa through a $72 000 loan facility sourced from Agribank. The move which is expected to increase milk production in the district will see a total of 27 farmers from the co-operative benefitting from the heifers. Each heifer was purchased at a price of $1 450.
All beneficiaries of the loan facility are expected to complete their payments in the next 24 months. The co-operative chairman, Mr Farai Maseure, confirmed the development and said the heifers were distributed to all the beneficiaries.
Mr Maseure said the heifer importation was expected to boost dairy farming in Chipinge and change the farmers’ lives.
“Yes, I can confirm that we received a total of $72 500 from Agribank which we used to import the heifers. All the heifers were purchased in South Africa and the landing price of each heifer was $1 450.
“Our co-operative has the potential to supply large volumes of milk as well feeding the nation if we receive lines of credit like these. We are urging farmers to use zero grazing units so that they will easily monitor their cattle and consult veterinary services officials if anything goes wrong,” he said.
Mr Maseure said the price of dairy cows in the country was beyond the reach of many farmers.
“With the few resources we have, many farmers are being forced to cross-breed the heifers they have with indigenous breeds and this affect milk production.
“Our farmers lack pure dairy breeds and the Jersey breeds we imported have the potential to produce 25 litres of milk per day if they get enough feeds. In our country, dairy cows are expensive and our farmers cannot afford buying them. They are being sold for $2 000 by local suppliers,” said Mr Maseure
Contacted for comment, Agribank public relationship officer, Mr Innocent Mharidzo, encouraged dairy farmers to safeguard their dairy cows and consult relevant authorities in case of problems.
“I urge you all to consult relevant authorities when you encounter any problems for the success of this project. Maintain your relationship with the bank for future benefits.
“Agribank is there to help farmers in development programmes because it is a Government bank,” he said.
Mr James Mugidho, a dairy farmer, said he was expecting high yields from the Jersey breed.
“This is our first time to import pure dairy breeds from South Africa and we are expecting good yields as compared to previous years.
“We are expecting to produce more than 20l of milk per day from each cow. As dairy farmers, we will continue using artificial insemination on the cows. We want to continue producing good breeds and quality milk,” said Mr Mugidho.
Online Reporter