Small-scale Dairy Farmers to Get Assistance
TANZANIA - Various stakeholders in the milk industry value chain have vowed to pull their resources to address challenges in the sub-sector and ensure that more small holders benefit more from the industry.Tanzania's The Citizen reports that the dairy farmers have also agreed to step up campaigns to drink milk and scout for more best improved breeds of dairy cattle and grazing pastures land.
The Head of the Clusters’ Development within the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor in Southern Highlands, Ms Maria Ijumba said there were many challenges facing dairy farmer in Tanzania.
Speaking at the end of one day seminar that brought together the farmers to resolve their challenges, she said a number of challenges were being worked out as time goes by.
"We have looked at many issues ranging from stepping up the campaigns especially in schools to make more people improve their health by drinking more milk to widen the milk market," she said.
She said the milk stakeholders were meeting after two years to monitor implementation of various resolutions they agreed to resolve when they first met two years ago.
A representative from ASAS Dairy processing plant said he was impressed by the outcome of the seminar as it addressed fundamental issues concerning the milk sector.
"For example this meeting brought in members of the Tanzania Rural Roads Agency who are very critical in ensuring that there is road network and connectivity that farmers needs," he said.
The representative from the Tanzania Milk Board, Mr Deogratius Mlai, he was quite impressed in the manner at which the milk value chain sector was well co-ordinated.
He said there was a challenge with a number of tax burden upon local milk producers and processors saying that makes it difficult to compete in the market.
TheCattleSite News Desk