By the Respondents Reporter
Tanzania, Nov. 5 — Tanzania's government has briefed parliament on a dairy sector transformation project aimed at shifting livestock farmers towards commercial production, improving milk safety and strengthening the industry's resilience to climate change.
Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Ng'wasi Kamani led the ministry's presentation during a parliamentary seminar in Dodoma on Thursday, outlining the project's objectives, implementation plans and financing.
Mariam Ditopile, acting chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Trade, Agriculture and Livestock, urged lawmakers to promote the initiative in their constituencies, particularly in areas where the project is being implemented.
She said much of Tanzania's milk was sold through informal markets, limiting efforts to improve quality control and formalise the dairy trade.
The establishment of milk collection centres and the introduction of modern milk distribution equipment could help address some of these challenges, she said.
“We have seen that much of our milk is sold through informal markets. With the establishment of milk collection centres and modern milk distribution equipment, I believe we can address this challenge,” Ditopile said.
Kamani thanked parliament for providing an opportunity to present the project and pledged that the ministry would consider concerns and recommendations raised by lawmakers.
He said the ministry would review the project's implementation structure, particularly the selection of beneficiary areas, to ensure its benefits were distributed more widely.
“The views you have shared today will not only help us in the current phase but will also contribute to improving subsequent phases,” Kamani said.
Presenting the implementation report, project coordinator Lazaro Kapella said the initiative was designed to move livestock farmers away from traditional subsistence practices towards commercial dairy farming while improving the safety of milk produced in the country.
The project is being implemented in eight regions: Arusha, Iringa, Mbeya, Njombe, Tanga, Morogoro, Pwani and Kilimanjaro.
Kapella said the first-year budget was approximately 110 billion Tanzanian shillings, divided into three components covering production, milk processing and consumption, and project management and coordination.
He said 19 million US dollars had been allocated to production, 17.5 million dollars to milk processing and consumption, and 5.3 million dollars to management and coordination.
The figures amount to $41.8 million in total.
The project places emphasis on improving production systems, strengthening milk collection and processing infrastructure, and encouraging safer consumption as part of efforts to develop a more organised and commercially viable dairy industry.
Its implementation is expected to support the transition towards more productive livestock farming and improve the quality and safety of milk reaching consumers.