The ManicaPost
Dorcas Mhungu Post Correspondent
Zimbabwe’S expertise in dairy farming has earned the country and a Manicaland dairy farmer , Mr Gareth Barry, preferred country and resource partner for a Tanzanian organisation, Tanzania Episcopal Conference, to remodel its dairy project.
Mr Eric Mwelulila, director of finance and administration of Tanzania Episcopal Conference, said: “Zimbabwe’s experience in dairy farming and Mr Barry was more forthcoming and kind to accord us with all the information and this is our third visit. Mr Barry has been constantly sharing information, teaching us and empowering the community in Manicaland to expand the dairy farming knowledge and helping us to develop this idea.”
The Tanzanian organisation has entered into a strategic partnership with a Zimbabwean organisation, Sinapis Investment Holdings. Mr Mwelulila said his organisation runs a dairy farm in the Dakawa District in Morogoro, Tanzania. Mr Mwelulila, who was accompanied by Mecklina Isasi and Jesse Ndambala, financial analyst of Tanzania Episcopal Conference, said the benefits of partnering with Sinapis were to tap into Zimbabwe’s advanced dairy farming expertise and skills.
“Tanzania is a very young developing country. We are not yet advanced, we are still a very young dairy industry country. So, we will be able to create value addition for the industry in Tanzania and the community will be able to grow the industry and create more dairy products and it is also an opportunity for Zimbabwe to trade more with Tanzania in the dairy industry,” said Mr Mwelulila.
Sinapis commercial manager Mr Augustine Banga, who lauded the partnership, and said the Tanzanian organisation, which is milking 112 cows currently, wants to build its dairy milking herd to 150 and by implementing technical skills and advice as well as acquiring some of Mr Barry’s dairy breed with the hope of increasing its daily yield.
Mr Banga said: “We are going to partner and look for the right genetics and management side. Sinapis is going to provide the technical side and also the management side of the joint venture.
“We felt it was very important to introduce the idea to the government through dairy services where we can tap into dairy services expertise and how to set up and come up with the best model.The model is going to be replicated in various parts of Tanzania. We are also getting input from Tim Hoghood.”
The chief dairy officer, Ms Tendai Marecha, said Mr Barry’s success cornerstone for his dairy farm is his intense passion for his animals and dairy. She told the Tanzanian delegation that Mr Barry’s high milk yields weresupported by his passion for the animals. “Dairy farming is about passion and the reason why his yield is so high. You need a good plan and you must supervise the implementation and use someone who is experienced”
Ms Marecha added that the national yield had gone up. She also said her department had introduced nutrition gardens for dairy cattle for small dairy farmers which provide food for the milking cows to ensure good milk yields.
Mr Mwelulila said the organisation would definitely acquire dairy cows from Mr Barry’s farm after being inspired by his own breed that he had introduced to small- scale rural farmers.
