Tanzania is turning to a new awards scheme to encourage livestock keepers and service providers to adopt better farming practices and help close the country’s widening milk production gap.
The Competitive Awards for Service Providers for a Resilient Dairy Industry Project will promote improved livestock breeds, quality feeds and better husbandry practices in Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya and Morogoro.
The project, funded by Heifer International, aims to raise milk production and livestock keepers’ incomes while improving the quality of services available to farmers.
Launching the project, Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Ng’wasi Kamani said the awards were intended to encourage livestock keepers to adopt technologies and modern practices that can improve productivity.
She said the Government would continue educating farmers on improved forage varieties, adequate feed production and technologies that can increase livestock productivity.
“The country’s low milk production requires cooperation between the Government, livestock keepers and development partners,” she said, stressing the need to improve productivity and household incomes.
Tanzania Dairy Board Registrar George Msaja said the initiative would also focus on expanding milk markets and improving services available to livestock keepers.
He said farmers needed access to reliable and quality services to increase production and secure dependable markets for their milk.
Heifer International Country Director Mark Tsoxo said many Tanzanian households depended on dairy farming, but low productivity remained a major challenge.
He said the organisation had introduced a results-based payment system under the project to encourage service providers to deliver practical solutions to challenges facing livestock keepers.
Heifer International project presenter Edna Lusuva said annual demand for milk in Tanzania was estimated at about 13 billion litres, against current production of about 3.1 billion litres.
“This shows a significant gap that requires deliberate efforts to bridge,” she said.
Lusuva attributed part of the production shortfall to the continued use of low-yielding cattle and inadequate access to quality feeds.
She said the awards would encourage livestock keepers to increase production of quality feeds and adopt improved husbandry practices, with the ultimate goal of raising milk output and farmers’ incomes.
The initiative will also seek to strengthen cooperation between service providers and livestock keepers and increase incomes among small-scale dairy farmers.
Meanwhile, the Government has warned livestock keepers in low-lying areas to prepare for possible flooding associated with El Niño rains.
Kamani urged farmers to move their animals to safer areas before flooding occurs and prepare sufficient feed in advance.
NBC said livestock keepers would also have opportunities to access financing to expand their businesses, urging them to invest loans in productive activities.
Dairy Producers Association chairman Hamisi Mzee said livestock keepers had taken note of the guidance from the Government and other stakeholders and would work to improve milk production.
Anna Almas, a milk producer from Mvomero, said the project should be used to address challenges related to production, feed availability and access to quality services.
She said improving these areas would help make dairy farming more productive and improve returns for livestock keepers.