Government has granted Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited a special dispensation allowing the company to import raw milk from Manica Province in Mozambique to increase production at its Chipinge plant.
The importation of milk from farmers in the neighbouring country is being facilitated under an initiative by Manicaland and Manica provinces to enhance cooperation between Zimbabwe and Mozambique at both the economic and political level.
In an interview, Provincial Administrator Mr Edgars Seenza said the veterinary department had approved the deal and had visited Mozambique to inspect the farms which will supply milk to Dairibord.
“The vet department granted the special dispensation and a team went to Mozambique last year to inspect the quality of the milk headed for the Chipinge plant and they made certain recommendations,” he said. “They will be visiting the farm again to verify if the recommendations they made have been implemented. I will meet with officials from DZL this week to see where we stand with regards to that project,” he said.
He said the milk would be transported from Musiziri District in Manica into Chipinge via the Mt Selinda Border Post. However, the road from the border into Chipinge is in need of urgent rehabilitation.
Mr Seenza said Government was now pushing to have the road rehabilitated to ensure that once the deal was sealed, there could be smooth flow of vehicles and people using that road.
“The road from Musiziri District to the border is completely tarred, but from the border into Mt Selinda, our road is in a bad state,” he said. “We have since engaged the Ministry of Transport to ensure that the road is rehabilitated. Government has already started work on that road and we hope that it will be completed by the time DZL starts bringing in the milk.”
Mr Seenza said the rehabilitation of the road would also facilitate the smooth flow of people between the two countries.
Government has been making calls for the capacitation of local dairy producers in the province to help increase supply of milk.
Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba last year said once local farmers increased production, the Dairibord plant in Chipinge would also increase capacity from the current 40 percent.
“There is need for us to continue capacitating our dairy industry so that milk production increases,” she said. “The Dairibord factory in Chipinge is currently operating at 40 percent capacity, but it is poised to increase its production level to 50 percent when 2 500 litres milk per month from Mozambique begin to arrive. The total local production is 400 000 litres per month.”
