mmegi

Cream and the crop: The dairy question

In short supply: Dairy production is low due mainly to inadequate feed, insufficient breed stock and other factors 
PIC: CABOTCREAMERY.COM
In short supply: Dairy production is low due mainly to inadequate feed, insufficient breed stock and other factors PIC: CABOTCREAMERY.COM

Scholars say prior to Independence, the country was a net exporter of milk products, particularly cream, but this was lost through population growth and the modernisation of the economy. The opportunity, officially valued at $53 million, is one of the key targets in the fight for food self-sufficiency, writes MBONGENI MGUNI

Dairy sector veteran, Dr Wame Boitumelo, who is also a well-published scholar on the industry, remembers a simpler and better time for the country.

“Five or six decades ago, in fact before Independence, we were a net exporter of milk products in the form of cream,” he said.

Editor's Comment
Don't let FMD outbreak drag on

Acting Agriculture Minister, Edwin Dikoloti, is right in saying opening an export-ready facility whilst Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is still spreading would risk getting the whole country blacklisted before a single carcass leaves the door.A ban like that would break the already stressed nation. So, the postponement, painful as it is, is the right thing to do. The local economy is being squeezed from both ends. FMD has already slammed the door...

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