Project supports Dowa farmers with dairy cattle
The Sustainable Food Systems for Rural Agriculture Transformation and Resilience (Transform) project has donated 20 dairy cattle to Mbalame Dairy Cooperative in Dowa District.
The donation came through one of the implementing partners, Trustees of Agricultural Promotion Programme (Tapp) with funding from Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid.
In an interview, Tapp head of programmes Brown Chitewere said they donated the head of cattle to boost milk production in the district.
He said: “We donated the animals considering the potential the dairy industry has in transforming people’s lives. Dairy farming is a game-changer in the agricultural sector because it has a structured market.
“So we want to strengthen the capacity of the cooperative in terms of production and commercialisation.”
Dowa district chief agriculture officer Albert Kaputa said the gesture supports Malawi2063, which has agriculture as one of its priorities.
“To achieve the Malawi 2063, we need to work together to improve agricultural commercialisation and productivity,” he said.
Kaputa asked the members to promote unity among themselves to ensure success and sustainability of the cooperative.
Mbalame Dairy Cooperative chairperson Pretorius Msonthi said the cooperative produces over 150 litres of milk daily, but they have big dreams, which include producing their own feed to cut costs.
Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid agriculture value chain specialist Elube Kasina said the cattle will improve milk production
