Source: Raw milk output reaches 23-year high – herald
Edgar Vhera and Tapiwa Mangwiro
Zimbabwe’s commercial raw milk production hit a 23-year high of 122 million litres in 2025, with total output, including non-commercial production consumed at home, reaching 129 million litres.
This reflects sustained recovery and structural improvement across the value chain as a result of Government-facilitated and private sector-driven policies under the Second Republic.
Raw milk production rose 85 percent from 66 million litres in 2017 to 122 million litres last year.
Statistics released by the Dairy Services Unit (DSU) show that the country produced 111 million litres of the product in 2003.
Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF) national chairman, Mr Edward Warambwa, said the country achieved a record monthly output of 11,4 million litres of milk in December.
“Notably, annual commercial milk production rose to 121,8 million litres in 2025, a figure that excludes an additional seven million litres of non-commercial milk produced and consumed at the household level.
“This brings the total milk production for the year to 128,8 million litres,” he said.
The ZADF commended dairy farmers for their steadfast commitment and resilience, which made this increase in milk production possible despite challenges experienced, such as rising production costs, limited financing options and deteriorating infrastructure.
Mr Warambwa said his members were concerned about the continued increase in the cost of production over the years, from around US$0,56 per litre in 2021, US$0,60 per litre in 2022, to the current US$0,63 per litre against unresponsive producer prices.
“Retail prices for Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk over the period have fluctuated from around US$1,10 per litre in 2021 to a high of US$1,75 per litre in 2024 and currently averaging US$1,35 per litre.
“Throughout much of 2025, the average cost of production stabilised at US$0,63 per litre, while the average producer price remained at US$0,58 per litre. Although this stability is a positive indicator, the persistent gap between production costs and producer prices raises concerns about the long-term viability of the dairy sector,” he said.
ZADF said the dairy sector employs 42 000 people while the dairy herd was approximately 67 000 cattle, of which 40 575 are milking cows.
“Zimbabwe has the potential to be milk self-sufficient from local production this year if critical issues related to milk pricing, cost of compliance and power supply access to suitable funding are addressed,” he said.
Monthly intake by processors remained consistently high throughout the year, averaging above nine million litres from July to December, indicating improved farm productivity and stable off-take arrangements.
The year opened with processor intake of 8,76 million litres in January, dipping slightly in February before gaining momentum from March onwards.
A notable acceleration occurred in the second-half of the year, with July (9,23 million litres) and August (9,40 million litres) marking a turning point.
Peak performance was recorded in December, when total milk produced for sale exceeded 11,41 million litres, the highest monthly output of the year.
Milk retailed directly by producers remained relatively stable, averaging between 700 000 and 780 000 litres per month, suggesting that formal processing channels continue to dominate market absorption.
However, the steady presence of direct retailing highlights the growing importance of small-scale and peri-urban dairy producers in meeting local demand.
Year-on-year comparisons show positive percentage differences across most months, particularly in the latter part of the year, with total milk volumes in October, November and December recording growth rates of 9,7 percent, 10,15 percent and 13,43 percent, respectively.
This trend underscores improvements in feed availability, herd management and climatic conditions.
Agronomist, Ms Pamela Macheka, attributed the strong performance to better on-farm practices.“What we are seeing in 2025 figures is the payoff from improved pasture management, wider adoption of silage and commercial feed blends, and better extension support to farmers.
“If investment in genetics and irrigation continues, these gains are sustainable,” she said.
Overall, the 2025 figures point to a dairy sector that is regaining confidence, capacity and competitiveness, positioning it as a key contributor to agricultural growth and nutrition security.
Several factors are responsible for Zimbabwe’s impressive performance in the dairy sector.In 2018, the Second Republic initiated the Command Livestock Programme under which the President handed over 660 heifers to 151 beneficiaries from Matabeleland South’s seven districts.
The Presidential Sileage Programme (PSP), facilitated by the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) and Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ), was also introduced to benefit 1 338 farmers.
The European Union-funded Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme under its portfolio supported the Transforming Zimbabwe’s Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project.
The project has mobilised and registered more than 4 000 new dairy farmers between 2019 and 2022 and introduced improved animal genetics to improve production and productivity when the project imported 500 in-calf heifers from South Africa between 2020 and 2021.
The dairy cows were distributed to different areas through a heifer matching grant facility.
TranZDVC procured 4 000 straws of sexed semen and 4 000 straws of conventional dairy semen.Artificial insemination services are also being implemented as a breed improvement strategy.
The Government and development partners also introduced artificial insemination (AI) to reduce incidences of inbreeding and line breeding and introduced better gene pool into the country.
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