Zimbabwe’s milk imports drop 23% as local production rises

ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe has achieved a significant milestone in its dairy industry, with milk imports decreasing by 23% from US$27 million in 2023 to US$20 million in 2024. 

This decline is attributed to the government’s import substitution policy and a notable increase in local raw milk production. 

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats), the volume of dairy product imports also saw a reduction, dropping seven percent from 7,270,603 kilograms to 6,736,637 kilograms. 

These imports encompass products such as milk, cream, yoghurt, buttermilk, ice cream, whey, butter, and cheese.

The Dairy Services Unit (DSU) reported a 15 percent rise in raw milk production, reaching 114,699,440 litres in 2024, up from 99,821,752 litres in 2023. 

Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, highlighted the government’s efforts to bolster local production. 

“In order to augment local production, and also cognisant of the need to provide the local industry ample time to invest in the necessary infrastructure and dairy herd, Government has over the years, suspended duty on imported milk powder.” 

Furthermore, a five percent levy on imported dairy products was introduced in January 2022 to fund the Dairy Revitalisation Fund, aiming to expand the national dairy herd and enhance sector competitiveness.

The government’s fiscal measures have yielded positive results, with milk product imports decreasing by 16% from US$37 million in 2021 to US$31 million in 2022, and further declining by 15 % to US$27 million in 2023. 

The dairy sector aims to achieve self-sufficiency by targeting a 15 percent increase in raw milk output, from 115 million litres in 2024 to 132 million litres in 2025. 

The nation requires 131 million litres of milk annually to meet its needs and is currently 16 million litres short of this goal.

Edward Warambwa, national chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF), expressed optimism about reaching the target.

“The target is to grow by 15 % from last year’s output to achieve 132 million litres, which is enough to meet our national annual milk requirement.” 

Collaborative efforts among ZADF, development partners, the government, and the private sector have led to the launch of a breeding strategy to improve dairy genetics and herd growth.